P3 A Fool Named Fortune: Reshuffled
by MagnusRagnar
Summary: Rewind the clock a second and reshuffle the deck so the game plays different. Maybe you'll get a better hand or another Wild Card.
1. Arrive and Awaken

Disclaimer to avoid Lawsuit: I do not own Persona 3. Roy Fortune, however, I do own.

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><p>I should've expected weird shit to happen on this trip. I mean, I'm in god damn Japan and this country is weird as hell. For cripes sake, the dude put a freaking afro wig on his dog! Oh well, that was just outside the airport anyways, not at the place I'm heading to. Iwatodai. Honestly, the only reason I know of the place is because that's where I used to live before the accident happened and I had to go to the states to live with Uncle Shane. Still kinda surprising he was cool with me coming here alone, but then again he did teach me the basics of how to defend myself and such so I should be fine.<p>

Besides that, the school I'm going to doesn't really sound like the kind of place that you'd see a lot of thuggish guys hanging around to mug your ass. Not that I'm gonna be all relaxed about it, I'm a goddamn six foot tall foreigner with bright red hair. Even if I do kinda look at least a little Japanese, I still stand out like a sore thumb. But hey, it can't cause me any grief if I don't actively cause trouble, so I should be fine... in theory, anyways.

Eh? Oh, hey, this is my stop. Stupid train being late, now it's almost midnight. Getting to the dorm I'm supposed to be staying at is going to be a bit obnoxious now, and if the place is locked I might not be able to get in, and that's bullshit! At least it's about the only thing that-

...Me and my big mouth. Shoulda figured this stupid time paradox thing wouldn't go away just by crossing the Pacific. Now I get to explain why I suddenly ninja appeared in the middle of the night to anyone who's still awake! Whoop de god damn do. Then again, I get to see this all at night for once... though it's not really that different. Just a green skyline and yellow moon to compliment the green walls and random puddles of blood instead of a dark red skyline and black sun, clouds optional. Oh yeah, and everybody who's not me turns into coffins. Fun stuff to see at around eight in the morning for close to ten years.

Bleh, whatever. Where the hell did I put that map I got anyways...

* * *

><p>Well at least I know I can read Japanese in the middle of the night now. Though I'm curious, why are the lights on here at this dorm? Far as I know, electricity doesn't work during the paradox. So why is this place exempt? May as well try the door anyways. Beats standing outside all damn night.<p>

Wow, unlocked. Let's go in- Gah, man... bright lights hurting my eyes... Hmm. Nice lounge they got here. Still no sign of-

"You're late."

"GAH!" I whirled around and damn near dropped my bag. Sitting behind the counter to my left was a black haired kid with bright blue eyes wearing black and white striped pajamas.

"I've been waiting a long time for you." He continued.

Oh... kay...? "Sorry, my train was delayed a little..." How is this kid active in the paradox...?

The kid chuckled. "That's quite alright. Now, if you want to proceed..." the kid snapped his fingers and a red folder appeared infront of him on the counter. "Please sign your name here."

I gave the kid a skeptic look. "The hell is this?"

"It's a contract." he explained. "Don't worry, all it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff."

Well, okay then. Gotta wonder why a Japanese kid like him is speaking perfect English, though. I flipped the contract open and signed it with a pen that was sitting on the counter. Once I set the pen back down and stepped back, the kid snatched it off the counter and moved away, flipping the cover of the contract closed.

"No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end" began the kid, holding the contract over the right half of his face. "You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes."

He turned his hand and the contract straight-up disappeared.

Oh god please tell me this kid's name isn't Louis Cypher...

The kid smiled and started stepping further away, the lights all starting to go out.

"And so it begins..." He chuckled, and he vanished completely into a shadow without a trace.

Fucking hell, what have I just gotten myself-

"Who's there!"

"Oh god damn it, what now-" I began, turning towards the direction of the Japanese voice I just heard and stopping when I saw it was a brunette wearing pink staring at me from about ten feet away. "Oh! Sorry to barge in like this so late, my train got delayed..." I trailed off when I finally realized two important things.

First, the paradox is still going and she's not a coffin.

Second, there's a god damn pistol strapped to her thigh.

"Whoa, wait, I can explain!" I shouted, jamming my hand into my pocket to grab the map I'd been given. "I was told to come to this place!" I pulled the map out and held it up. "I'm not a thief or nothing!"

The girl just kept staring at me, though now with more bog standard confusion instead of possible wide-eyed fear.

"What's going on?"

I looked past the girl in pink and in the direction of the stairs. There was another girl standing there, and to put it bluntly she was a smoking hot chick with hair redder then mine with a sort of regal vibe to her. Much like the girl in pink, she wasn't a coffin in the paradox and had a gun, just in a holster at her waist instead of attached to her leg.

The lights suddenly came on, causing me to flinch slightly before I quickly looked at my watch. Paradox is over now.

"I didn't think you'd arrive so late." said the redhead as she sauntered on over to me and the brunette. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

"Yeah, sorry about that." I apologized. "Like I said, my train got delayed for some reason. Name's Roy Fortune." I tipped my fedora. "Nice to meet you both."

"Uh, y-yeah... Nice to meet you... I'm Yukari Takeba." stammered the brunette, who turned to look at Mitsuru. "Is it okay for him to be here?"

"He's a transfer student, and it was a last minute decision to assign him here." she replied. "He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boys' dorm."

"Wait, what?" I griped. "I was told that I'd be staying at a co-ed dorm..."

Mitsuru paused, clearly not expecting me to decide to complain. "As I said, it was a last minute decision. The regular dorm was full, but it's not uncommon for some students to leave at the beginning of the school year."

I frowned and glanced at Yukari. She looked like she was gonna have a panic attack.

"That aside, it's getting late and you must be tired." continued Mitsuru. "You should get some rest. Your room is-"

"Yeah, are you seriously going to expect me to believe you didn't notice what was going on when I showed up?" I asked, my patience for pretty much anything at an all-time low at the moment. "Everything was green, the walls were bleeding, and you both weren't coffins!"

Yukari swallowed hard, while Mitsuru was silently sizing me up.

"...I don't know what you're talking about." she began. "Perhaps you're just imagining things because of how tired you are?"

I opened my mouth to counter, then shook my head and sighed. I really am tired, so to hell with arguing about all this crap. "Yeah... yeah, that's probably it. Uh, where's my room at?"

"It's on the second floor at the end of the hallway." Mitsuru replied simply, clearly glad I wasn't pressing the issue. Poker face needs work, madam. "Your things should already be there."

"Oh, um... I'll show you the way!" offered Yukari, offering a slightly nervous smile. "Follow me."

I just shrugged and casually marched in step behind her, passing Mitsuru(who was giving me a somewhat suspicious look) on our way over to the stairs. Passed a mini-lounge looking thing once we topped the stairs, then she started leading me down the hallway. At the end, she motioned towards the door to her left.

"This is it... Pretty easy to remember cuz it's at the end of the hall, huh?" Said Yukari with a small laugh. "Oh, and don't lose your key or you'll never head the end of it..."

I chuckled. "Speaking from experience?"

She shook her head. "No, Akihiko-senpai said the same thing when I moved in."

"Who's he?"

"He's another student living here." Yukari pointed past me at the door on the other side of the hall. "Right in that room, actually."

I bobbed my head a little and covered my mouth as I yawned. "Erright, cool. I'll see ya in the morning then. I'm gonna hit the sack..."

"Alright." She replied, then she started away as I made for the door.

I had my hand on the handle when I heard her stop.

"Hey... can I ask you something?"

I looked over at her. "Shoot."

"Was everything okay on your way here?" she asked. "Like, anything unusual?"

"Nah, nothing I'm not used to." I replied. "Why?"

She just shook her head a little and smiled. "No reason, I was just a little concerned because you looked really tired..."

"Ah, okay. G'night, Yukari-san." I said, then I slipped into my room. Okay, toss my bag down, pull out my sleepwear, get changed, set my hat down on my desk, and go to freaking SLEEP!

* * *

><p><em>"It's been~ ONE WEEK since you looked at me~! Cocked your head to the side and-"<em> **WHAM**

Why the hell did I set that song as my alarm... blargh, whatever... morning now... school... Japan... getting up...

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><p>Twenty minutes later and I was all dressed and ready. Not liking the stupid string tie I'd been given, I ditched it and instead threw on a nice, comfortable maroon t-shirt instead of the white dress shirt left with the rest of the school's uniform. Other then that? Only things that stood out about my look as my fedora- black with a red band on it- and my necklace. Odd little thing, I've had it for years and it's got a bit of a story to it.<p>

I put the strap of my red messenger bag that I'd be using for my school stuff over my shoulder as I stared at myself in the mirror. You'd think having orange eyes would've gotten me grief as a little kid, but nope. Apparently everyone thought they were light brown until I they weren't. But eh. That was Seattle. This is Iwatodai, who knows what the fuck the people here will be up too...

A sudden knocking at my door drew my attention

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

"Yeah, I'm up." I said, walking over and opening the door. "Here to show me the way to school?"

She gave a short nod. "Mitsuru-senpai asked me to, and it's starting to get a little late."

"Then let's be off." I replied. "No reason to skip the first day."

* * *

><p>So I got to making semi small talk with my temporary dorm mate as she showed me the way to school. It was gonna be a bit of a trek, but the train guys gave students a big discount or something like that. Yukari, by her own admission as we stood in the slightly packed train car with a bunch of other students, enjoyed the part of the ride where the train was going over the water.<p>

"Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port Island?" she asked. "It's a man-made island, and they built our school right in the middle of it." She pointed at the window. "Take a look, you can see it from here!"

I glanced out the window and- "Holy crap, I knew this place was swanky, but god DAMN that's on a level all its own!"

"I know, right?" Yukari laughed. "I though the same thing the firs time I saw it."

* * *

><p>"Well, this is it." began Yukari, stopping infront of me once we reached the school building. "We're here! Welcome to Gekkoukan High School! Hope you like it!"<p>

I shook my head a little with a slight chuckle, then followed her into the school. I still don't get the whole thing with shoes.

"So where do we go first?" I asked once we'd stepped away from the shoe lockers. I glanced in the direction of a large crowd a short distance away. "I don't think we'll be seeing what's got people's attention very quickly..."

"Probably not." agreed Yukari. "But you should go see your homeroom teacher first." She pointed past me towards a hallway to the left. "The Faculty Office is right down that hallway."

I gave her a skeptical look. "That's kinda hard when I don't know my homeroom..."

"Oh, right..." Yukari actually facepalmed at that. "Well, I guess you could just ask while you're there. Most the teachers here are pretty nice, if a bit... unique."

The fact she paused to say that last part makes me nervous. "Alright... Anything else I should know?"

"Nothing really comes to mind, so I'll just see you later." She replied, then she started to leave but paused and looked back at me. "And, uh... can you not talk about what happened at the dorm last night?"

"I... don't see a reason for that, but okay." I said uneasily. "If it comes up, I'll just make something up."

Yukari smiled. "Thanks. See ya!"

I simply waved before I turned towards the hallway she'd pointed out, noting a few curious sets of eyes watching me. The Faculty Office was the first door in the hall, and I made a passing glance at what looked like a teacher wearing a samurai helmet talking with some blonde guy. Must be another foreign student, but I can't tell where he might be from.

Once in the Faculty Office, I looked around for someone to talk to. Lucky for me there was one teacher still in the room who spotted me. She had short brown hair and a beige outfit, and I kinda towered over her a little. Cripes, I'm gonna hafta get used to being taller then goddamn everybody...

"Are you the new student?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm Roy Fortune."

"Roy Fortune..." she murmured, then turned around to check some files on the desk behind her. "Ah, here we are..." She plucked a folder off the desk and opened it. "Eleventh grade, correct?" I nodded as she faced me again. "Wow, you came here all the way from America..."

"Hate to interrupt, but I was kinda wondering if you could tell me who my homeroom teacher is." I said, holding up a hand. "There was a huge crowd back in the main lobby around what I'm guessing might've been the classroom assignments..."

"You're in 2-F; that's my class." She replied with a slight grin. "I'm Ms. Toriumi, and I teach Composition."

I quickly straightened right the hell up. "Nice to meet you, Sensei."

Ms. Toriumi giggled. "I like your enthusiasm." She glanced back down at my file. "Hrm... Let's see... in Nineteen ninety-nine... about ten years ago, right? Your parents..."

I sighed as my teacher gasped in surprise.

"I'm sorry." she apologized quickly. "I've been rather busy, so I wasn't able to read your file beforehand..."

"It's alright, I'm not offended or anything." I said, waving my hand dismissively.

"I'm glad, but for now we need to go to the auditorium." stated Ms. Toriumi. "The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon, so please follow me."

Oh boy, I've got an excuse to turn on my MP3 player now!

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><p>Huzzah for the power of rock and its ability to make ignoring long-winded speeches incredibly easy. The girl sitting next to me seems to share that sentiment, while the guy to my left looks like he's opted to take a nap. Must be boring as hell.<p>

I felt a tapping on my shoulder and I looked back over my shoulder as I paused my music.

"Hey, you came to school with Yukari-san, right?" He asked. "I'm pretty sure I saw you two walking together-"

"I don't know anything about her besides her name." I sighed, then I faced forward and turned my music back on. Welp, rumor mill is in full force. This is gonna suck.

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><p>School proceeded about how I expected it to following my slightly awkward introduction to the rest of the class. A whole lot of whispering went on when I took my seat. Surprisingly, Yukari's in my class and has the spot infront of me. Once school was over, I started packin' up my stuff when a shadow was suddenly cast over my desk. I looked to my right and that guy I saw sleeping at the assembly was standin' there with a grin on his face<p>

"Sup, dude?" he asked. "How's it going?"

"Good enough." I replied with a shrug. "Who're you?"

"I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya!"

I smirked. "Likewise. I'm Roy Fortune, but you probably already knew that."

"Heh, yeah." He said, nodding a little. "I figure'd I'd say 'hey' since I kinda know how tough it is bein' the new kid."

"You transferred here a while back, I take it?"

"Yeah, in Eighth grade." replied Junpei, then he turned his head and smirked. "Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" _PFFT_

"Heya Junpei." She greeted as she approached the two of us. "Guess we're in the same class again this year."

He just grinned wider. "I gotta say, I wasn't expectin' that, but hey, I'm not complaining."

"Yeah, you're too busy bothering the new guy."

"What?" whined Junpei. "I was just bein' friendly..."

Yukari laughed. "I know, I'm just messing with you." She looked at me. "Actually, I'm surprised we're in the same homeroom. Who'd have guessed?"

I merely shrugged. "Suppose that's just the way the cards were dealt."

"Heh, yeah..." agreed Junpei, then he glanced between me and Yukari. "By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that?"

"I moved into the same dorm as her." I replied. "She just showed me the way to school this morning. I only met her when I arrived in the middle of the night because the train was delayed."

Yukari grimaced. "Can you not talk about that please?"

"What? It's not my fault you apparently scare easy!" I protested. "And you're the one who threw the book at my head anyways."

Junpei stifled a laugh. "Pfft, what? You threw a book at him?"

"If she'd aimed about an inch lower she'd have hit my face instead of my hat."

He started snickering while Yukari huffed and crossed her arms, then she got a look at the clock.

"Oh man, I gotta get going..." She announced. "I have things to take care of for the archery team." She waved at me as she started towards the door. "I'll see you back at the dorm, Roy-kun!"

I waved absently. "See ya." Once Yukari was out the door, I looked at Junpei. "Seems nice enough. You known her a while, I take it?"

"Yeah, for a few years at least." He affirmed. "She can get a little paranoid sometimes, though. Especially about rumors. But hey! It's your first day here, and people are already talkin' about you, dude! Believe it or not, Yuka-tan's pretty popular."

"I'm already looking forward to glaring at the idiots." I deadpanned with a sigh.

Junpei laughed. "Ah, take it easy man. Besides, I got this feelin' like it's gonna be a fun year!"

I smirked. "Heh, you might be right. Never really know when fate might deal you a wild card."

* * *

><p>And thus I ended up heading to the train station with Junpei in tow, the two of us chattin' aimlessly back and forth.<p>

"So how'd you end up in the same dorm as Yuka-tan?" he asked suddenly. "Some kinda mix-up?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, according to Mitsuru-senpai it was a last minute decision to have me staying there."

"Mitsuru-senpai...?" Junpei parroted, frowning as he thought about the name, then his eyes snapped open. "Dude, do you mean Mitsuru Kirijo?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she's at the dorm as well. Hell, she showed up like three seconds after Yukari chucked that book at me."

"Dude!" He practically shouted. "You're living in the same building as Kirijo-senpai AND Yuka-tan? Do you have any idea how many guys would practically kill to be in your shoes right now?"

"I can imagine, and I don't blame them." I shrugged. "I mean, god DAMN Mitsuru-senpai is easy on the eyes." I sighed. "But sadly it seems it's only temporary. I'm gonna get booted out to the regular guy's dorm at some point."

Junpei laughed. "Hah, guess you're lucky, but not lucky enough, huh?"

"Guess so. But if you ask me, I don't see why I have to move out. I mean, I was up pretty early and the place was pretty much abandoned. I think there's only one other person besides me, Yukari-san, and Mitsuru-senpai living their, and there's like, five damn rooms on the second floor."

He gave me a weird look. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Yukari-san said some upper classmen named Akihiko is in the room across from mine."

"Seriously?"

Eyebrow. "You heard of him?"

"Dude, he's captain of the boxing team!"

"Okay, it's official, I'm some kind of bizarre hybrid of the luckiest and unluckiest son of a bitch ever." I groaned. "I get tossed into a huge dorm with three famous students and they tell me I gotta move out sooner or later..." I hung my head. "This sucks, dude..."

Junpei just laughed. "Ah, cheer up, Roy-san..." He paused. "Actually, can I just call you Roy? No offence, but your name sounds weird with honorifics..."

"It's cool with me. Can I get away with just callin' you Junpei?"

He grinned. "Sure."

"Awesome."

* * *

><p>We kept on shootin' the shit till we got off the train, then split up to head to our respective residences. I was actually still kinda tired, so once I got to the dorm I went up to my room, browsed the internet for a couple hours, then went to bed.<p>

The next day of school was nothing special, aside from the discovery on my way to class in the morning that there's apparently a rumor about a bathroom. Junpei'd already headed off with another friend of his after school, but I wasn't exactly up for just looking around the city so I just made my way back to the dorm. I actually bumped into Yukari on the way, so the two of us just headed back together.

"Does Toriumi-sensei really expect people to bring her cake as a punishment?" I asked. She threatened some guy with that in class today. "Sounds like something a crazy teacher from an anime would do..."

Yukari laughed. "Yeah, Toriumi-sensei really does expect you to bring her cake. Pretty much everyone knows about her sweet tooth, and I've actually seen a few of the other teachers bringing in slices of cake when they have bad news for her. Except Ekoda-sensei; he always brings an entire cake."

"Why? He have a history with her or something?"

Yukari shrugged. "I dunno, but I've heard a rumor she once slapped him for something."

"Wow, sucks to be him." I snickered as I opened the door to the dorm. "Gotta wonder why that-"

"Hrm? Oh, hello Yukari."

The two of us stopped in the doorway and turned our heads towards the source of the voice, which was some sketchy lookin' dude in a brown suit who was wearing glasses and sitting on a chair in the lounge.

"Oh! I didn't know you were going to be here today..."

I looked at Yukari. "You know this guy?"

"Ah, I take it this is our new guest?" asked the sketchy guy as he stood up, making me look at him before Yukari answered my question. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm Chairman of the Board for your school."

"Nice to meet 'cha." I replied. "I'm Roy Fortune."

"I apologize if my name is hard to pronounce." he said. "Even I've gotten tongue-tied when introducing myself sometimes."

I raised an eyebrow. "Ee-koots-key. Not difficult, really..."

"Well, that's certainly faster then most people have managed to get it right." laughed Ikutsuki, then he motioned to the sofa. "Please, have a seat."

The fact this guy is both sketchy as hell and apparently dumb enough to mispronounce his own name makes me worried since he's also the dude who runs my damn school. Of course I didn't mention that as I plopped down on the sofa with Yukari while the chairman parked himself in the same chair he was in just a moment ago.

"I would like to take the time to apologize about the confusion surrounding your accommodations." began the chairman. "It may take a while longer before you receive a proper room assignment."

"Yeah, I don't really get that." I interrupted with a frown. "I've only seen two other people here, Yukari-san said there's a third I have yet to meet in person living in this place, and outside of the one I'm in and that other guy's, there's still three rooms on the second floor that are unoccupied. Why is it such a big deal for me to not be here?"

"Well, this is a special dorm." replied Ikutsuki. "It's for a specific school club, and is meant only for members only. Having a non-member in the building could present a problem for the club's activities."

Eyebrow. I do believe something is afoot, Watson. "Okay, that answers that question. But if you don't mind me asking, why exactly are you here?"

"To welcome you, of course." He replied. "But, I do have other business here. I'm just waiting for Mitsuru to return so I can discuss the matters with her, but it doesn't hurt to say hello. Do you have any other questions?"

"Nah, nothing really springs to mind." I said with a slightly bored look. "Unless you all wanted to ask me something..."

"Actually, there is one thing..." Ikutsuki began. "On the night you arrived, was there anything... unusual happening?"

I gave him a wary look. "No, nothing that hasn't happened to me before... why?"

"Well, with everything going on of late I wanted to be sure nothing serious occurred." He replied. "That's not a problem, is it?"

I shook my head. "Nah, it's cool."

He smiled. "Alright then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take care of a few things while I wait for Mitsuru."

Ikutsuki stood up and started way, only to stop and look back at me and Yukari as the two of us got to our feet.

"I do hope you have a successful school year." He said. "And please, do get some rest if you feel tired. As they say, 'the early bird catches the bookworm'!"

That's the first time I've ever heard a pun so bad it literally hurt.

"...Please forgive the bad pun." Ikutsuki chuckled before he walked away.

I looked at Yukari.

"...You'll get use to his lame jokes." she replied with a sigh. "Doesn't make them any better, though..."

"God help us all if he ever buys a book of jokes." I said. The fact Yukari shivered with fear when I said that does not inspire confidence of any sort.

* * *

><p>The rest of my afternoon was spent either web surfin' or doing schoolwork before I went to bed. Once that happened, things got a bit... I dunno, weirder then normal for me.<p>

I think this is a dream, unless the dorm has a dark hallway with a checkerboard path and a glowing blue door in it I'm not aware of. With nothing else to do, I approached the door and opened it, finding myself in a chair all of a sudden and sitting at a table across from- HOLY FUCK, that is a big nose! And the face it's attached to seems to be that of an old, balding guy with bloodshot eyes, pointy ears, and a grin that'd make the Cheshire Cat jealous. Next to Nose Man was a slender, pale skinned woman with yellow eyes and platinum blonde hair dressed in a blue bellhop looking outfit and holding a really thick book. The room here is equally bizarre, as it looks like some kind of perpetually ascending blue elevator.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man..." began the nose guy with a whimsical sort of tone. "My name is Igor, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He motioned to the woman standing to his left. "This is Elizabeth. Like myself, she is a resident of this place."

Elizabeth bowed slightly. "Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise... I guess." I replied hesitantly. "Um, where the hell IS this place?"

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter..." his grin somehow managed to get wider. "It's been years since we've had a guest."

I didn't have much time to think about that statement before Igor waved his hand over the table and holy fucking shit that's the contract that kid got me to sign!

"Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place..." stated Igor. "Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so."

I gave Igor a wary look. "Igor IS you real name, right? It's not really somethin' like Louis Cypher, is it?"

He laughed openly. "Ah, you needn't worry. Mr. Cypher has long since stopped meddling in human affairs, nor is he in any way connected to this place."

"Wait, HE'S REAL?"

"Of course, but as I said, you needn't worry. After the incident with the Demi-Fiend, he hasn't done anything to humans of any sort, malicious or otherwise." Igor said dismissively. "But that's not something for you to trouble yourself over, and we'd best stay on topic. My aid in honing your ability has but one condition; You abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices that you make and the consequences that come with them."

"That's... actually pretty reasonable. Sure, but can I ask you a question? Is this a dream or somethin'?"

Igor nodded. "Precisely. You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak, and this visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come of here of your own accord sooner or later. To that end, I ask that you hold onto this..."

A blue key appeared and floated over to me. I grabbed it and looked at it curiously.

"'Till we meet again..."

* * *

><p><em>"It's been, One Week~-"<em> **WHAM** Shut up.

Okay, that dream was weird. No weirder then the normal dreams I have, but still weird... Wait, what about that key...?

I hopped out of bed and checked the pockets of my pajama pants. Sure enough, the key was there.

Welp. This is different.

* * *

><p>I shoved the key into the pocket of my maroon jacket before I got ready for school. I'm not entirely sure what to make of this right now. It could be damn near anything.<p>

Once I headed out, I tried to put it all out of my mind, but something kept nagging me about it. Thankfully the timely arrival of Junpei once I got within a couple blocks of school managed to derail that train of thought enough for me to push it to the back of my head. School wasn't anything special, and I chatted with Junpei for a bit on the way back to the dorm before he split to head home.

I stopped at a convenience store to grab something to eat since I didn't feel like raiding the dorm's kitchen, then at the dorm proper I stuffed it in the mini-fridge in my room while I did my schoolwork. The hours passed quicker then I expected, but it was pretty late when I finished. I dug into the food I got while I web surfed on my laptop, checking up on webcomics and such for a few more hours. It was around eleven that I finally glanced out the window and saw the moon.

Normally the moon doesn't mean jack to people but in my case I have a bitch of a time trying to sleep whenever the moon's full, which unfortunately for me it is. I have no idea why, either, but without fail it takes me forever and a half to get any rest on full moons. I just get impossibly wound up and restless. It sucks, but I guess I can just sleep through Ekoda's class tomorrow. The dude's gotta be boring enough to knock insomniacs out.

In a vain, somewhat stupid attempt to get some sleep, I just flopped down in bed and stared at the ceiling for around an hour. Five minutes after the paradox reared its time-rending ludicrousy, I was fed up. I got up, changed into some comfortable and warm clothes, put my hat and jacket on, then stepped out out my room. Can't stop me from going for a walk if they don't even know I'm gone-

My plan to get some air to clear my head was put on hold when I saw three people hurry down the stairs without stopping. Naturally curious about the big rush, I made my way down to the lounge myself. From the base of the stairs, I saw Mitsuru and Yukari standing near the slightly open front door... and who's the guy sitting on the ground?

"This is no time to joke around!" I heard Mitsuru snap as I slowly approached.

"It's one of them, Akihiko?" Wait, the Chairman's active now as well? And that Akihiko guy? What the hell!

"Yes, but it's not an ordinary one-"

The dorm shuddered violently, cutting off who is presumably Akihiko.

Yukari let out a shriek of surprise. "What the...? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Okay, just WHAT the hell is going on here?" I demanded once I stopped near the back of the group. "What was that?"

Cue a bunch of curious, and surprised, faces spinning around and looking right at me.

"Who's he?" asked the- Holy shit, is that guy BLEEDING?

"There's no time for this!" snapped Mitsuru, pulling a gun out of the holster belted to her waist... Wait holy crap, is that a sword on her belt as well? "Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room! Takeba, take Fortune and escape out the back!"

"I'm sorry, what?" I growled.

Yukari looked back at Mitsuru. "But, what about you two?"

"We'll stop it here." she replied. "You led it to us, Akihiko, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."

"He's bleeding you dunce!" I shouted. "Unless you've got magical healing bullshit powers, somebody needs to go grab a first aid kit and patch him up!"

Mitsuru glared at me. "He'll be fine. You just focus on escaping with Takeba!"

"He's wounded." I snarled. "He won't be much help in a fight of any sort like that, and, with no offense intended, I doubt you could fight whatever the hell's got you all worked up by yourself. So hows about the Chairman gets a first aid kit to help him while me 'n Yukari-san come out to help you?"

"WHAT?" screeched Yukari. "Are you crazy? Do you even know what we'd be going up against?"

At that last word, the dorm shuddered again.

"That... sounded big..." I noted nervously. "Uh..."

"It's almost here!" shouted Akihiko, who was looking out the slightly open door. "And I think it brought company!"

The Chairman took that as his cue to bolt for the stairs like a bat out of hell while Mitsuru looked outside at whatever the hell's about to show up with a buddy.

"It looks like we have no choice..." she noted angrily as she turned back towards me and Yukari. "You'll both have to fight."

I glanced at Yukari and she looked freaked out as all hell. I looked back at Mitsuru and she had a dead serious expression.

What have I gotten myself into and why do I not care?

"Let's go!" snapped Mitsuru, brandishing her sword before charging out the front door.

I looked at Yukari- "Where the hell did you get a bow?"

She gave me a confused look. "Um... I had it with me...?"

...How did I fail to notice the quiver she's got? Am I really that retarded? "...Right. So what the hell am I supposed to fight with?"

"Just take these..."

I looked down at Akihiko, who took off a pair of metal gloves and handed them to me. "Better then nothing, right?"

"I guess..." I admitted, putting them on as Yukari darted outside. "You gonna be okay while we deal with whatever the hell is out there?"

He just smirked. "I've had worse."

...And I thought I was crazy. "If you say so..." I glanced at the gun on the ground, then went out the door. Gotta leave the guy somethin' to work with, after all.

"Where'd they go?" asked Yukari, an arrow ready as she looked one way down the street, while Mitsuru watched the opposite direction. "They were just here, right?"

"I don't know..." replied Mitsuru. "Just keep your-" She stopped when she looked at me. "FORTUNE, ABOVE YOU!"

I charged straight towards Yukari before I heard something land with a sort of thud behind me. I spun around and "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL IS THAT THING?"

A... monster... it's some kind of freaky Eldritch monster make of ARMS. Some of which are holding giant fucking knives, one of which is holding a blue mask.

"Fortune!" I heard Mitsuru shout, while I just took a staggering step backwards.

Fucking hell what have I gotten myself into?

"Look out!"

I felt an impact, then I was sprawled out on the ground and I could hear Yukari shrieking and the sound of something metal hitting the ground.

"Takeba!"

I pushed myself up and Oh god there's another monster and it's between the first one and Mitsuru!

I scrambled to my feet and saw Yukari struggling to get up while the knife monster repositioned itself. I almost took another step back when I realized I stepped on something. I looked down and it was one of those guns Mitsuru and Yukari had. Yukari must've dropped hers when she... I guess shoved me out of the way of an attack...

I grabbed the gun off the ground and pointed it at the monster. Fuck these gauntlets, they're not gonna do me any good right now! …Wait, this thing's too light... it's not even god damn loaded! What the hell is it even any good for?

Before I could chuck the useless piece of crap, the scene unfolding before me was replaced by a white void where the kid who got me to sign that contract was standing infront of me.

"Go on..." He said, pointing at his head with his fingers in a gun shape. "You can do it."

Just as quickly, I was back outside the dorm staring down a knife murdering monster from hell with people shouting at me.

I looked at the gun in my hand.

So the kid says I should shoot myself in the head with an unloaded gun while a monster stalks towards me, poised for the kill.

I swallowed hard and put the gun against the side of my head.

Why not. About the only thing even remotely close to being grounded in god damn reality at this point.

My breathing slowed and so did the world around me, or so it seemed. I could hear a word echoing in my mind.

I smirked to myself. I guess fate just dealt me a wild card.

"Per... so... na..."

**BANG**

The next thing I heard was the sound of breaking glass as blue shards spiraled around my field of vision.

**_'I am thou... and thou art I...'_**

Something was speaking from behind me.

**_'From the sea of thy soul, I cometh...'_**

The monster infront of me seemed to move backwards, as if it wasn't entirely sure what the fuck.

_**'I am Shade, the Specter of Arcana...'**_

Arcana, huh...? Heh, maybe this isn't so bad after all- "GAAAAAAH!"

Fuck, what the hell is going on? My head feels like it's gonna split open...!

I heard a roar from behind me and slowly turned around.

There was a body laying on the ground and something emerging from its back like it was a cocoon of sorts. It was some kind of... person, I guess wearing a black coat with a bizarre skull mask of some sort on its face and an impossible arrangement of floating coffins chained to its shoulders. It emerged completely, revealing white gloved arms and legs with no feet, they just came to a stop.

The black thing leapt right over my head with another roar, and by the time I turned to look it was tearing into the knife monster like a rabid animal. It pulled out a katana and just went to town on the bastard, slicing off arms and even cutting its mask in half. By the time it was finished, all that was left of Knifey was the single arm held in Black's left hand. It stared at the hand for a second, then crushed it into goop and roared again before it flickered like a staticy TV screen several times. On the last flicker, there was something else in black's place.

It looked more like a person then Black did, standing roughly twice my height from the looks of things. It had the appearance of a semi cartoonish silhouette of a person, except completely black in color save for a pair of dimly glowing dark blue circles for eyes. The vest and pants it wore were a normal gray in color, while the jacket and fedora it had were a much more silvery sort of gray, though the band on the fedora was the same color its vest. Under the vest was a white shirt, and it wore shoes that matched the color of its gunmetal gray hair. Standing out from the rest of its appearance was the crimson red tie and belt it had on.

The figure nodded at me once, then vanished in a burst of blue shards and all of a sudden my head stopped hurting as much.

"No way..." I vaguely registered Yukari stammer in disbelief before my attention was drawn by a different sound. The other monster had apparently seen all that and decided Mitsuru wasn't as interesting as me, and as such started towards me. This one was much smaller then the knife monster. Actually, it looks kind of like a harpy or some other creature with bird wings for arms and a humanoid face.

I didn't stop to worry much more about it at that point, because I jammed that gun against my head again and fired, summoning the silver jacket guy,who promptly flew right at the bird-thing and punched it in the chest. Guess that means he's Shade... though I gotta wonder why he's wearing mostly white-ish stuff. 'Shade' would imply shadows and all that... Gah, worry about that later, birdy still wants to play apparently!

I dodged a flying charge from Birdy, and shot myself with the gun again to get Shade to punch it again. Except apparently he hit it harder then before, because there was a sickening 'crack' when his fist connected with Birdy's face. Taking advantage of the fact the bird was now laid out on the pavement, I ran right up to the damn thing and stomped on the back of its head a few times, then kicked it in the stomach before one final self-inflicted headshot got Shade to disintegrate the center of Birdy's torso as well as the rest of it mere moments later. I took a few steps back to steady myself as Shade poofed away again... I feel both amazing and like hell right now...

"Fortune!"

I turned around, the handgun slipping from my grip as I wobbled in place and threw a thumbs up to Mitsuru. "No problem..." I fell onto one knee. "Okay, nevermind..." I braced myself with one hand. "I... urgh..."

The last thing I remember was feeling the impact of me hitting the ground.

* * *

><p>Author Notes - First things first, I'm sorry I've dropped off the map for so long. I started getting overly critical of what I've been writing due to some recent stuff that's happened, and I'd actually been kicking around the idea of remaking AFNF since around the time I finished it and started focusing more on Answer of Aeon. Now, to put this in perspective, this is basically what amounts to what Double Lusnati Style was to the Original Lusnati Style in relation to A Fool Named Fortune. Reshuffle here is intended to be a vastly different take on AFNF, hence why it's not just AFNF with better formatting and spelling. No, this is a complete rework of the entire thing, almost from the ground up. I say 'Almost' because I WILL salvage things I liked(mainly jokes) from AFNF to use here. And, to put some fears to rest, NO, Reshuffle!Roy will not bash on Yukari every five minutes. That'll only happen when she does something scorn-worthy in the story. His Social Links are also going to be different(or at least a few of them will), and like you must've noticed before even getting this far, so will his abilities. Specifically, no voices in his head or mini-personae. I was looking over Norimoto Style and I realized 'Shit I could remove these guys and only have to do a lot of work changing maybe three scenes.<p>

Speaking of Norimoto Style, if you like what I have with it at the moment, enjoy it while you can. Before I make more headway on the Reshuffle here, I'm going to make changes to all existing chapters of NS and finally post chapter 8. Why? Because Reshuffled here is going to be the new P3 canon for the AFNF Universe/Timeline. I won't be pulling the original AFNF down, but that one has gone the way of 'When Worlds Collide' and is no longer part of the main timeline. The same could be said of Answer of Aeon, too. Reshuffled here will cover the Answer as well, meaning yes, the perspective will shift from Roy to someone else for those parts. It will also be different from the original Answer of Aeon.

One last thing... Droplet of Sour and I are discontinuing Fortune Lusnati Style. We'd conceived it as a sort of 4koma gag sort of series focusing on wacky hijinks that we'd make in Skype chats, but we got carried away and cerebus syndromed the hell out of it right off the bat. Sooner or later, one of us(probably me) will write up a 'final' chapter of sorts likely narrated by Philemon that'll outline how Roy, Saito, and Lisa's plan worked out. And on that note, there's a few ideas I'd planned to use for FLS that will instead take root here in Reshuffled. I'll mention what those are when they happen, and I may end up using some stuff we'd already done in FLS as well(namely the intended characterization of Yukari and her interactions with Junpei).

Welp, that's all I wrote. Later Days, everypeoples!


	2. Velvet Dreams and Bloodstained Halls

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Takeshi Yamato -** For future reference, 'a couple' is two, not four. As for your actual qeustions, allow me to answer them:

Q1: Roy's love interest is unchanged from Classic AFNF. That said, it is not going to progress in the same way.

Q2: Yes, Channeling will return. Possibly sooner then you expect.

Q3: Answering that question would spoil part of the surprise I have in store regarding that. Mwehehehe.

Q4: No. It was a dumb idea when I first came up with it and it's still dumb now.

**Vivi239 -** The song on Roy's alarm clock is 'One Week' by the Bare Naked Ladies. It's from the late 90's(I think). I heard it on the radio as a kid and the song came on the Digimon The Movie soundtrack. I was listening to it as I was writing the earlier parts of the first chapter so I felt like having it pop up for some giggles.

**Kaylee Ishtar -** Honestly I was considering rewriting AFNF around the time I was finishing it. The criticism I got recently got me to actually hunker down at do it.

**TooLazyToThinkOneUp -** Nope, this is not a New Game Plus. In fact, this story has no tangible connection to the original AFNF at all. It's intended to be a whole other beast, but that said I will still make nods to the original a few times over the course of the story.

**Overlord Duelist -** Not Hell 3.0, sorry. This is something different entirely. Suffice to say 'Stuff happens' and hilarity sometimes ensues.

**zephyr51 -** Yeah, I'm gonna straight up admit that I didn't do very well in English class. I always thought it was impossibly dumb because by 7th grade or so I'm pretty sure most people have a solid grasp on the English language. Now I just feel silly. :T

And that's all I wrote for this. Now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"It's so nice to see you again."<p>

The hell...? Oh. Velvet Room again. Fun times. "Yo... um, the hell exactly happened to me?"

"You became unconscious after awakening to your 'power'." Igor said as I adjusted myself in the odd chair I was sitting in. "It's nothing to worry about, though. So please, just relax... But, I must admit, I was expecting another to heed your calling rather than Shade..."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's... kinda weird... but what exactly IS Shade, anyways?"

Igor's grin seemed to widen. "The power you now wield is called a Persona... A facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli. You can think of it as a... mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. That being said, your power is still weak."

"Well I never used it before now so I'm honestly not surprised. It'd just be weird if I was ludicrously powerful right off the bat."

Igor chuckled. "Indeed, my young friend. When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength. The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links- your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability."

Eyebrow again. "So I run on the Power of Friendship? Do you have any idea how cliché that sounds?"

"Quite, but I have told you the truth." he stated. "But for now, I shouldn't keep you here any longer as time marches on in your world. The next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Until then, Farewell."

"Erright, Later days, Igor..." I replied sleepily as I wobbled in my seat before passing out again.

* * *

><p>Mmmrgh... Where am I... Oh man, this bed is comfy... Gah, no! Focus! Okay, sit up carefully and open eyes slowly...<p>

...Why am I in a hospital?

"Huh? You're awake...!"

I turned my head and Yukari was staring at me from the open doorway of the room.

"Oh hi Yukari-san..." I said in English with a lazy wave.

She gave me a weird look.

"I just said 'hello' in English." I stated, switching back to Japanese. "Sorry."

"Oh, um... that's fine..." She said, closing the door behind her as she entered, taking a seat next to my bed. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better then I did last night, that's for sure..."

Yukari gave me a weird look again. "Last night...? You've been asleep for over a week!"

"...What."

"You've been out like a light for an entire week." She repeated, probably guessing at what I'd said because I was speaking English again. "The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you. He just said you were exhausted, but you kept on sleeping! Do you know how worried I was?"

Eyebrow. "We've known each other for a grand total of three days from my perspective and you were worried about me?"

"Well, when you put it that way it does seem kinda silly..." She admitted, sheepishly rubbing her neck. "But, you did save my life so I couldn't just leave you alone..."

"Technically I repaid you for saving mine." I pointed you. "You like, tackled me before the knife thing could shoot something at me, right?"

Yukari laughed a little. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that... It was right before you summoned your Persona..." She shivered. "But what happened to it?"

"So the big crazy black thing with a skull mask showing up as abruptly as a tank through the wall is NOT standard procedure for summoning those Persona things?"

She shook her head. "No, I've never seen anything like that happen before. Senpai said she'd never seen it before either."

"Great, so I can't even be weird in a normal way." I sighed. "Oh well. The hell were those things I fought, anyways?"

"Oh, um, we call them Shadows. They're what we're fighting against."

"'We' being everyone at the dorm?"

Yukari nodded. "Yeah. We'll explain everything later..." She looked down. "Sorry I didn't tell you before..."

"Honestly if I hadn't been tired as hell the night I arrived I would've tried to get explanations out of you and Mitsuru-senpai." I admitted. "But whatever, I'll wait for the big info dump..." I flopped back on the bed. "Goddamn this bed is really freaking comfy..."

"Are you going to do that a lot?"

"Do what a lot?"

"Just suddenly say things in English." She clarified. "Are you going to do that a lot?"

"I've lived in a predominately English speaking country for ten years, so I probably will for a while. That a problem?"

She shook her head. "No, just a little confusing is all..."

"Erright." I yawned, turning my head to look at Yukari. She had a conflicted look on her face. "Something wrong?"

Yukari shifted nervously, then stood up and walked over to the window. "Well... I kinda wanted to tell you that I'm sorta like you."

Eyebrow. "Eh?"

"My dad died in an accident when I was little." She explained, still facing away from me. "It was back in ninety-nine, and there was a big explosion in the area. Supposedly, my dad died in the blast, but nobody really knows what happened. But, since he was working in a lab run by the Kirijo Group, I kinda figured that if I stick around long enough that I'll find something out about what happened, which is why I'm going to Gekkoukan High."

"Okay, two questions." I interrupted. "One, when you say 'Kirijo Group' do you mean the same Kirijo as Mitsuru-senpai?"

Yukari nodded. "Yeah..."

"Alright..." That could end badly. "Second question. What about your mom?"

She hesitated. "My mom and I aren't exactly on good terms right now... Sort of another reason I'm staying at the dorm, and why I was there when this happened to you." She chuckled uneasily. "And I kinda know all about you already..."

"Wait, you guys did a background check on me?" I asked. "Fuck man, were you all paranoid I was some psychotic british kid with blue emo fringe hair and a Warhammer 40k addiction who screams a lot or something?"

The moment I finished speaking, I made a weird face while Yukari stared at me in moderate confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"That description I gave you inexplicably fills me with nigh incomprehensible rage for some reason." I admitted. "I've never actually had that happen before." I shook my head. "Bah, whatever."

"Hey, Roy-kun?"

I looked at Yukari again. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Eyebrow. "What for?"

"Right before that monster tried to attack you, I panicked..." she said. "I froze up when I was trying to help, so you ended up having to fight it and get hurt... You wouldn't have had to go through with it if I wasn't such a coward..."

"I think you missed the part where I was still trying to wrap my confused and freaked the hell out mind around the fact I was staring down a goddamn monster before you tackled me." I told her. "My life has been crazy for a while, but in all the time I've been getting sucked into that paradox or whatever the hell it is, I'd never seen those things before."

"Really?" She asked. "But still..." Yukari paused, then laughed slightly. "Ha, and here I am telling you all this right when you wake up..."

I laughed as well. "It's not really a problem. I'm just concerned with getting out of the hospital if that's possible."

"Oh, well, I'd have to go tell Mitsuru-senpai you're awake first." She replied sheepishly. "It might take a little while..."

"Why not just call her?"

Yukari gave me a weird look, then laughed again. "Why didn't I think of that...?"

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Alright, I'll go step out and call the dorm." She reported, starting towards the door. She paused as she grabbed the handle and looked back at me. "And Roy-kun?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled. "Thanks for listening. I've kinda been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time, but never had anyone to talk to about it... And since we were hiding a lot of things from you, I thought to myself that I should tell you the truth."

"You're welcome, Yukari-san." I replied. "Always nice to have someone to talk to, right?"

Yukari giggled. "Yeah. I'll be back in a minute."

"Not like I'm going anywhere..."

* * *

><p>"Okay! I called Mitsuru-senpai and she talked to the doctors, so it's okay for you to come back to the dorm today."<p>

"Shiny. Let's be bad guys."

"...Huh?"

"Sorry. Quote from a show I really like."

"Oh... okay..."

* * *

><p>There wasn't any big info dump after I got back to the dorm, and truth be told I was still kinda tired so I went to bed early. First thing in the morning on the way to School, I caught up to Yukari at the station.<p>

"Mornin'." I said with a yawn.

"Oh, good morning." She replied, somewhat surprised I'd suddenly popped up. "You seem to be doin' pretty well."

I bobbed my head absently. "Eh, guess so. A little stiff, but no big deal."

"That's good. And, uh, sorry to drop this on you, but... Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today." stated Yukari. "Come to the fourth floor of the dorm after school, okay?"

"No problem."

* * *

><p>Cue buzz from the student body now that the ketchup head gaijin transfer kid's returned from a week long coma. Whoop de fuckin' do. Toriumi pulled me aside at lunch to talk to be about my absence, then kinda just scurried off to do whatever it is she was planning to do after the conversation was over. At that point, I got to make up a completely bullshit story to Junpei about what the hell happened to me. Said story involved a very odd combination of food apparently being enough to knock me unconscious for a week, and he actually seemed to buy it surprisingly.<p>

Day rolled by rather normally inspite of everything, which left the big explain-a-palooza that seems like it's gonna be the highlight of the evening, if not my entire goddamn day. So I just marched strait to the dorm once school was out, plonked my stuff down in my room, then headed up to the fourth floor.

"Ah, there you are." greeted a voice the moment I pushed the doors open. "I'm glad that you're okay."

I swear to god I get a creeper vibe from this guy. "Thanks for the concern, I guess..."

"The reason I asked you here is because I needed to talk to you." said Ikutsuki. "Please, have a seat."

I did a scan of the assembled faces in the room as I plopped down on a stool looking thing. Mitsuru and Yukari are on the sofa directly across the table from me, and two stools to my left is that guy who was injured last time I saw him. Past him was naturally Sketchtsuki, sittin' in a big ass chair like he's the boss or somethin'. I'm curious as to why there's a metal briefcase on the table, though.

"Oh, but before we begin, I'd like to properly introduce you to Akihiko." said the Chairman, motioning to the guy sitting near me.

"How ya doin'?" asked Akihiko with a smirk. Seems friendly... his arm seems kinda stiff from the way he's sitting, though. Must be bandaged up or somethin'.

"Okay, let me start off by asking you this;" Sketchtsuki began. "Would you believe me if I told that a day consists of more than twenty-four hours?"

"Yep."

Ikutsuki seemed taken aback, Yukari's jaw dropped, Mitsuru seemed moderately more interested, and Akihiko looked like he had no idea what the fuck.

"What?" I asked. "Is it really that surprising?"

Mitsuru was the first one to regain their composure... or whatever. "I suppose after witnessing the truth for yourself, you would be quick to believe us..."

"Uh, hate to break this to ya, but I've know about that green paradox thing for ten years."

...Why are they all giving me that look? Do I have a spider on my face? If I do, it better not be the blue exploding kind. That would suck ass.

"T-Ten years...?" sputtered Yukari. "Then... you grew up with this...?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Time difference between here and Seattle caused the paradox to kick in at around seven or eight in the morning. Try waking up in the middle of that crap when you're like, six. It's... not fun."

"I see..." commented Mitsuru somewhat somberly. "Experiencing the Dark Hour from such an early age would explain how well you've adapted to it..."

Eyebrow. "The Dark Hour?"

"The 'paradox', as you refer to it."

"Oh, okay. So is 'Dark Hour' like the official name for it?"

Mitsuru nodded. "That is correct."

"Erright. So if you got a name for it, then I'm guessing you also know more or less how the hell it works?"

Sketchtsuki nodded. "That's correct. It's sort of a hidden hour between one day and the next. Well, I guess it's more like people aren't aware of it. But it does exist, and it occurs each night at midnight."

"Normal people don't realize it since they're all sleeping inside their coffins." chimed in Akihiko. "But that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting... You saw those creatures. We call them 'Shadows', and they only appear during the Dark Hour. They'll attack anyone not in a coffin, and it's our job to defeat them." He grinned a maniac grin. "Sounds exciting, huh?"

"Akihiko!" shouted Mitsuru, leaping to her feet. "Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!"

...I suspect she has a thing for that guy. If she doesn't, I'll eat a sofa cushion.

"Now, now, he does his work well." Interjected the Chairman, holding up a hand. This was apparently enough to get Mitsuru to just huff and sit back down, then Sketchtsuki looked at me again. "Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad – SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club, but in reality this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader, and I'm the club advisor."

Must have one hell of a cover story then. Also explains the matching armbands everyone had.

"Before we explain further, there's something I'd like to ask." said Ikutsuki. "Have you had any prior experience combating Shadows before your arrival here?"

"Nope. Never seen those things before last week happened... Yukari-san, stop looking at me like my hair's on fire. It's kind of creepy."

"How are you so calm about this?" she sputtered in response.

I shrugged. "After ten years of crazy, I'm just used to the notion." Also I've got an excellent poker face. "But anyways, you guys were gonna explain more stuff?"

"Yes." replied Mitsuru, straightening her posture. "A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incidents on the news, if not all of them. Have you heard of Apathy Syndrome?"

"Yeah, I've heard of that. It's basicly the technical term for a person who had their brain eaten by one of those Shadows, I take it?"

"That's right." said Ikutsuki. "Although somewhat rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's 'Persona' – the power you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users, meaning it's all up to you guys."

"...Okay..." I said hesitantly. "So...?"

Mitsuru stood up and opened the briefcase. Inside was another one of those guns everyone had and a SEES armband.

"What he's trying to say is, we want you to join us. We've prepared an Evoker for you, and we-"

"Done." I interrupted, grabbing the pistol, presumably the 'Evoker', and inspecting it. "I'll do it."

Yukari sighed in relief. "I was afraid you'd say no..."

"I just hope you guys know what you're getting yourselves into."

Mitsuru shot me a narrow glare. "What do you mean?"

"When I came here, fate dealt you all a wild card." I said with a smirk. My life is goddamn insane as it is, and it can only get nuttier from here.

"I see... still, thank you very much. I'm really glad you agreed to help us." Work on your poker face, Captain Creeper. Why're you nervous, anyways? "Oh, I almost forgot... About your room assignment... Why don't you just stay here in your current room? I don't know what the holdup is, but I guess it-"

"I call bullshit on that, you totally did it on purpose." I stated quickly, putting the Evoker back in the case.

Yukari actually snickered at that, while Ikutsuki worked his jaw a little. Akihiko looked like he was trying to not laugh as well, and Mitsuru simply sighed.

**CRASH**

Whoa wait what the fu- why did time stop and why is there a Fool Arcana tarot card floating in my face?

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

...The hell was that? One of those Social Link things Igor was talking about?

"What's the matter?"

… "Please tell me I'm not the only one who just had that happen to them."

"Just had what happen?"

Sigh. "Yukari-san, you know how I complained about how I can't even be weird in a normal way? Yeah, I stand by that statement and let's leave it at that."

* * *

><p>Sleep good... mrgh...<p>

"Hi, How are you?"

"GAH!" I practically shot out of bed and spun around about ready to choke a bitch until I saw who had spoken. It was the Pajama kid from the night I arrived. "Oh, uh, hey kid."

"It's good to see you." he said with a grin. "Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I thought I should tell you/"

Eyebrow. "The end? The end of what?"

"The end of everything." He stated simply. "But, to be honest, I don't really know what it is so I can't tell you much about it yet."

That... does not sound good... "Well, at least you told me about it. Gotta count for somethin', right?"

He smiled again. "I suppose you're right..." He gave me a quick once over with his eyes. "Oh, it looks like you've awakened to your power... and an unusual power it is. A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none... It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up."

Many forms, yet is bound by none... Hrm. I'm a lot more curious about that Fool Arcana Social Link thing now. Igor got some 'splainin' to do.

"Do you remember the when we first me?"

"Yeah, you had me sign that contract. Why?"

"I expect you to honor your commitment." He said, hopping off my bed. "I'll be watching you, even if you forget about me." He waved at me. "Okay then, see you later."

And poof, he's gone.

Yep. Can't even be weird in a normal way.

* * *

><p><em>"It's been-"<em> **WHAM** I need to change what song plays when my alarm goes off. Why did I even set it again, today's Sunday... Blarg, back to sleep...

* * *

><p>I finally rolled out of bed around noon, got showered and dressed, then sorta wandered my way down to the lobby with my sketchbook and a snack after a little while. I just started sketching whatever came to mind, currently Shade. Wonder when I'm gonna get to summon him again... and hopefully that thing won't explode out of him again. That'd suck.<p>

"Wow, I didn't know you could draw."

"Hrm?" I glanced up from my sketch to see Yukari leaning over the sofa to my left. "Oh, hey Yukari-san." I adjusted the sketchbook in my lap slightly. "What cha' think?"

"It's really good!"

I smiled, then went back to drawing. "Thankies."

At that moment, the front door opened, drawing Yukari's attention.

"Good, you're both here. There's someone I wanna introduce."

I looked over the sofa to see Akihiko holding open the door and looking out.

"Hey, hurry up." He griped.

"Hold your horses!" Wait what. "This is freakin' heavy." Am I hearing who I think I'm hearing?

To answer my question, Akihiko stepped back a little and Junpei strolled right on in dragging a bunch of luggage with him.

"J-Junpei?" Yukari sputtered.

"Sup?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I'm sketching stuff." I replied, lazily waving my sketchbook. "You movin' in?"

"Heh, yeah! How'd you guess?"

Eyebrow. "Dude, you just about barged in with enough luggage for a platoon of Marines. If you're not moving in, then you need to stop carrying to much crap with you when you go out."

"WHAT?" shouted Yukari. "He's staying here? But, I thought-"

"He has the potential." Akihiko stated. "He awakened to it recently and I bumped into him the other night. When I told him about us he agreed to help."

Yukari looked at Junpei. "You have the potential? Really?"

"Yeah, he found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but man that's embarrassing!" he replied. "He said that's, ya know, completely normal in the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guys know that?"

"If it happened to me, I don't remember." I said with a shrug. "I've been seein' that stuff for ten years."

Junpei's jaw threatened to fall off his head. "Dude, seriously?"

"Mmhm." I replied. "Also, did he warn you about the monsters and the effects of summoning yer Persona the first time?"

Akihiko gave me a weird look. "I told him about Shadows, but what're you talking about when you say 'the effects of summoning your Persona for the first time'?"

"...God damn it, the week long coma after I summoned mine isn't normal either, is it?"

Akihiko shook his head.

Sigh. "Yukari-san, another mark on the 'can't be weird in a normal way' tally, please..."

"Wait, you were out of school because of your Persona?" asked Junpei. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, suffice to say stuff happened, and said stuff wasn't part of the norm for Persona-users." I sarcastically twirled my finger around in the air. "Go me."

Junpei gave me a slightly wary look. "Anyways, I was really shocked to find out about you guys. I had no idea! Kinda a gland I'm not the only one, since it'd probably get pretty lonely..." He grinned. "I bet you're stoked too, right? Havin' me join..."

"Always nice to see a friendly face, that's fer sure."

"I think that's enough with the introductions." Akihiko cut in. "I think we're about ready..."

Eyebrow. "Ready for what?"

"Ooh, we're gonna go do something?" asked Junpei. "Awesome!"

Akihiko nodded. "Yeah... with this many people, we can start exploring that place."

Yukari swallowed. "You mean... Tartarus?"

"Tartarus...?" parroted both me and Junpei.

"What's that?" he asked. "It sounds like toothpaste."

"Not exactly." I told him. "My Greek Mythology is a bit rusty, but what does a tower in the Underworld have to do with Shadows?"

"We believe we can find the reason for the Dark Hour there."

Eyebrow. "And exactly how the hell are we supposed to get there in the first place?"

"The Chairman will give us the details tomorrow night." replied Akihiko. "So be ready."

I kept giving him a skeptical look, then sighed with a shrug. "Whatever, man." I flipped my sketchbook closed and hopped up. "Junpei, dude, lemme help you carry that stuff."

* * *

><p>The next few hours of my night were spent helping Junpei move in before I went to bed. School was dull, the only thing worth mentioning being Mitsuru telling us to head up to the fourth floor of the dorm right when we got back. So, naturally, Me, Yukari, and Junpei did exactly that.<p>

I just parked myself on the sofa next to Mitsuru in the meeting room while everyone else took up the three stool chairs on the other side of the table, Sketchtsuki naturally taking his spot in the giant comfy chair.

"Alright, now that everyone's here I'd like your undivided attention." Began the chairman. "For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona users we had, but now that number has jumped to five in a short time span. Therefore, starting tonight at Midnight I'd like to commence exploration of Tartarus."

"Sorry, I know I asked this yesterday, but what's Tartarus?" asked Junpei. "Roy said it was a place in the underworld..."

"Yeah, and last I checked there's no demonic portals lying around unless you guys know something I don't..." I added.

Ikutsuki laughed. "It's not in the underworld. Tartarus only appears during the Dark Hour."

"Just like the Shadows." Akihiko chimed in with a murderous grin. "Interesting, huh? It's the perfect place for us to train, too. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."

"Whoa... a nest?"

"But, Senpai... what about your injury?" asked Yukari, bringing up a good point. Last I saw him before I passed out he was bleeding.

"He hasn't fully recovered yet." noted Mitsuru, giving Akihiko a pointed look. "Thus he'll only come as far as the entrance."

Akihiko sighed. "Yeah, I know..."

"Relax, I've got your backs!" boasted Junpei. "Ain't nothing gonna stop me!"

Eyebrow. "Uh huh... and have you ever fought anything of any sort before?"

He nervously rubbed his neck. "Eh heh... not... exactly..."

"Um... I'm not so sure about this..." said Yukari nervously.

"What about you, Mr. Chairman?"

"I'll stay here." He replied to Mitsuru. "As you know, I can't summon a Persona..."

Then how...? Gah, forget it. I really don't care enough about this guy to ask.

* * *

><p>"This is it? THIS is the place?" asked Junpei as we stood outside the school gates a few hours later. "Why HERE?"<p>

"It's the path to Tartarus, duh." I told him, adjusting the metal gauntlets I'd been given. "They wouldn't have brought us all the way here if it wasn't."

"Just wait a few minutes." said Akihiko. "It's almost Midnight."

Three...

Two...

One...

Bam. Paradox, go.

_**RUMBLE**_

Wait what the- HOLY CRAP

Turns out that rumble was coming from the school, which suddenly began to rise and distort, eventually resembling an impossibly constructed tower that I couldn't even see the top of because of its sheer size.

"This..." began Mitsuru. "Is Tartarus- the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."

"Uh, if I'm not mistaken, don't labyrinths go DOWN and not up?" I asked.

"The hell are you even talking about?" sputtered Junpei. "What happened to our school?"

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal." I do believe Mitsuru is ignoring him.

Junpei turned towards Akihiko. "This is the 'nest' you were talking about? But, why? Why'd our school turn into a giant tower?"

Akihiko shrugged, then Junpei and me looked at Mitsuru. She didn't say anything.

"...You don't know either, huh?" he asked.

"...No."

Somehow, I really doubt that.

"I'm sure it's complicated." Yukari piped up suddenly. "Who cares anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."

"Well, maybe now that we're gonna start exploring the tower we'll find out." said Akihiko. "Mitsuru and I have only taken a peek inside, we haven't gone past the lobby before." He grinned. "Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour..."

Mitsuru gave him a pointed look. "Akihiko. I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today."

He sighed. "I know... you don't have to remind me."

"Hey, Mitsuru-senpai, is he always like that?" I asked as Akihiko opened the gate of the school.

"Unfortunately..."

* * *

><p>I gave a low whistle once we stepped inside the giant tower that used to be our high school.<p>

"Woah, it's just as cool on the inside..."

"Yeah, cool in an Eldritch Horror Steampunk kind of way..." I said absently as I looked around.

"This is only the entrance." stated Mitsuru. "The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

"First, we'll have you three get a feel for this place. Why don't you go have a look around?"

Yukari's head snapped right around to face Akihiko. "What? By ourselves?"

"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here." replied Mitsuru.

Junpei gave both our senpai a flat look. "So you two didn't plan on coming in the first place...?"

"That's right." said Akihiko. "We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

"For real? One of us?" Junpei asked excitedly. "Oh! Oh! Me me me! Pick me!"

"Dude, acting like that won't get you put in charge of people." I said to him. "If anything, I'd figure Yukari-san would-"

"You're in charge."

I whipped my head around to look at Akihiko. "Come again?"

"W-Wait! Why him? He doesn't look like a leader!"

I looked over at Junpei. "Appearances can be deceiving, Junpei."

"Yeah, and he HAS fought them before..."

Junpei looked over at Yukari. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, why do you think I had to summon my Persona once already?" I asked him. "It was either summon it or a giant monster eats me. I took the option that didn't lead to me dieing."

"That's true, but there's another reason." Akihiko began as Mitsuru silently started passing out earpiece headset things and shoulder strap bags to everyone. "You two." He pointed at Yukari and Junpei, then took out his Evoker and put it against his head. "Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties like he can?"

I gave Akihiko a bewildered look. "Without difficulties...? Dude did you miss the part I was in a die or fly situation basically the ONLY time I've ever summoned that thing? How is that proof I can summon it without difficulties?"

"That's the kind of situation you're going to be in all the time." He told me. "These are Shadows we're talking about here. Without your Persona, you're screwed."

Eyebrow. "And yet you gave us all regular weapons which presumably are effective against them." I sighed. "Man, whatever... I don't..." I looked off to the left of the lobby and spotted a glowing door. "Even... Okay, has that always been there?"

"Has what always been were?" asked Yukari. "You mean the clock thing?"

I looked at her, then back at the blue door. "Another mark on the 'not weird in a normal way' tally, please."

"What is it now, Fortune?" asked Mitsuru as I started walking towards the door. "Fortune?"

"Hush please, I'm being magical." I replied, pulling the key I got from Igor out of my pocket. "And I have no idea anyways."

And in I go.

* * *

><p>"I've been waiting for you."<p>

I gave Igor a weird look as I sat down in the chair across the table from him. "Right..."

"The time has come for you to wield your power." continued Igor. "The tower you are about to venture into... How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist? Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of my power."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that." I interrupted. "The kid said it has many forms, yet is bound by none."

"That is because your power is unique. It's like the number zero... It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities."

Eyebrow. Infinite... "Wait, you mean like the Fool Arcana?"

Igor laughed openly. "Indeed! What this means to you is that you are able to possess multiple Personas and summon them as needed. In addition, when you have defeated your enemies you will see the faces of possibility before you. There may be times when they are difficult to grasp, but do not fear. Seize what you have earned, and your power will grow accordingly. Please be sure to keep that in mind."

"Erright, sure." I agreed. "So is there anything else you wanted to tell me right now?"

Igor shook his head. "No, that is all for the time being. Though my spare time will soon be scarce, please come again of your own accord. I will then tell you about my true role; the manner in which I can best assist you. Until then, farewell."

"Laters, Igor."

* * *

><p>"Hey, are you alright?"<p>

"I haven't been alright for ten years, Yukari-san." I replied with a sigh as I found myself back in the lobby of Tartarus. "But whatever, let's roll."

Junpei gave me a weird look as I turned around. "Dude, you sure nothing's up? You looked like a zombie..."

"You want I should eat your brains?" I asked. "Let's just go already."

* * *

><p>Before Mitsuru let us go up the stairs to the interior of the tower proper, she gave us the lowdown on how Personas worked. First up, just having one effects us physically, making us stronger and more resistant to some forms of attack while at the same time vulnerable to others. The attack types are three kinds of physical, four elements, and Light and Darkness. She also told us how to figure out what our Personas can do, which was surprisingly simple: Just focus on them in your head and bam. You'll know. So I did and got the gist of Shade's abilities. He's resistant to one of the types of Physicals and that's it. No weakness, just resistant to getting punched in the face. As for his attacking abilities, he's got Bash and a thing called Garu, which Mitsuru claimed is a wind skill.<p>

With all that squared away, she sent us up the stairs and into the main part of Tartarus. Looks like the inside of the school, except crazy, twisted, and covered with blood. Cozy.

"So, this is it huh...?" muttered Junpei as he looked around.

"I hope I don't get lost..."

_"Can you all hear me?"_

"Whoa! Is that you, senpai?"

I sighed. Dude, she just gave us headsets. Of course it's her...

_"I'll be providing audio backup from here on out."_

"Wait... Ya mean, you can see inside here?"

_"Correct. It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day so outside support is imperative."_

I walked over to a nearby doorway in the hall we were standing in. "Okay, makes logical sense there. So where are the Shadows?"

_"I'm detecting a Shadow close to your position, Fortune. It's located in the room you're facing."_

Huh. So it is.

"Alright, let's-"

"Hold the phone." I said, stopping Junpei from running past me. "I don't think it's spotted us yet. I wanna see somethin' real quick. You can take first shot at the next one, deal?"

He frowned, then nodded. "Alright..."

"Cool."

I slowly crept towards the Shadow, which seemed to just be sittin' there staring at a wall. It didn't hear me coming, so once I was close enough I slowly raised my right foot and...

**STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP**

On that last stomp, I started grinding my heel into the blob-like Shadow till it was dead.

Heheh... that was cool.

_"...Interesting choice in tactics, Fortune."_

"Why thank you, senpai." I replied. "Alright Junpei, take the lead, next one's yours."

"Alright!" he exclaimed as he rushed past me, sword in hand. "C'mon Yuka-tan, let's go!"

Yukari sighed. "Jeez, slow down..."

"HOME RUN!" **SPLRTCH**

The hell?

Yukari and me scurried after Junpei, who'd just used his sword like a bat and splattered one of those blob monster Shadows on a wall.

"Ha! How do ya like that?" He boasted.

"Look out!"

Junpei spun around to see a Shadow about to attack him, only for it to be met with an arrow in its mask that seemed to be enough to kill it.

I looked at Yukari and she was already preparing another arrow.

"Whoa, nice shot Yuka-tan!"

"Dude, you're lucky she's a crack shot with that thing." I commented. "You probably shouldn't barrel on ahead, ya know?"

He scoffed. "Ah, you worry to much. Nothing's gonna stop Junpei Iori!"

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." I sighed, walking past him. I quickly took notice of something. "Hey Senpai, what's with the stairs in here?"

_"Those are the only route to the next floor, but I can't allow you to go any higher today. Please remember about it next time."_

"Noted." I replied, then I turned down the hallway to my left. Looks like we got company.

_"You should also know that with my power, I can analyze an enemy to determine its weaknesses and strengths."_

Hrm. Sounds useful. "Okay, can you scan the Shadows up ahead then? I think I see a few down the hall."

_"You're correct. Just a moment."_

I took my Evoker out of the holster I'd been given for it and stared at the gleaming silver surface.

Finally time to use this thing. Here's hoping Black doesn't make a return appearance.

_"The enemies ahead are Cowardly Mayas. They're vulnerable to fire."_

"Eh, don't got fire. This'll hafta do." I commented as I put my evoker against my head. "Alright Shade, show 'em what cha' got!"

**BANG**

With a flourish, Shade burst into existence in front of me and slammed his open palmed hand down on the ground. A moment later, a swirling spike of green energy exploded upwards from below one of the Shadows, killing it instantly.

Unfortunately, the other two Shadows took notice of me having killed their buddy.

"Uh guys, little help?"

"Alright, I got this!" **BANG**

A huge streak of blue and orange surged past me, and I saw Junpei's Persona crash into one of the other Shadows with a flying kick. And holy crap, Junpei's Persona looks really cool. It's got like kickass armor and huge orange metal wing things.

"There's still one left!" exclaimed Yukari, readying another arrow after her previous one embedded itself in the remaining Shadow's flesh. "Get it quick!"

"Let's rock, Junpei!" I shouted, charging towards the Shadow. I could hear Junpei behind me, so I took a running leap, stomped on the Shadow, then spring boarded off it just before I heard the sound of its death screech as Junpei presumably stabbed the hell out of it.

Once I turned around I confirmed that yes, the Shadow is very dead, I took a look over at Junpei. "Hey, you okay man?"

He rubbed his leg a few times. "I think so... That Shadow hit me right before I finished it off..."

"Here, lemme see..." Yukari interrupted, walking over and kneeling down next to him. "Hrm, doesn't seem too bad... hold still."

She took out her own evoker and pressed it against her head.

"I can do this..." **BANG**

...Okay that thing is just goddamn weird looking. Why is that chick sitting on a giant cow skull?

"Hey, I feel better!" proclaimed Junpei, drawing my attention. "What'd you do, Yuka-tan?"

"I used a Dia skill on you." She replied. "It's a healing spell kind of thing."

"Oh, cool! Thanks."

I tapped on my earpiece. "There any more Shadows around, senpai?"

_"Yes, I can detect one more group not far from your location. Be careful, it's much larger then the one you just defeated."_

Hoo boy... "Thanks for the heads-up."

"Hey, Roy, you know what Agi is?"

I looked at Junpei. "No, why?"

"My Persona just learned how to use that." He told me with a grin. "Guess that means I'm getting' tougher!"

"Well, let's find out what it does, we got victims up ahead. You go first, me and Yukari-san can cover you."

He twirled his evoker on his finger. "Alright, here we go!"

Junpei darted around the corner, sword in one hand and evoker pressed against his head.

"Hermes!" **BANG**

Once the two of us caught up again, we saw one of the Shadows burst into flames.

"One more!" Junpei proclaimed, summoning Hermes again and setting another Shadow on fire. "And another!"

By the time the third shadow got hit with burnination, the other two were on the move towards the three of us.

"Again!" shouted Junpei, summoning Hermes once more and blasting a fourth Shadow, but that other one was getting too close for comfort.

"Shade!" "Io!"

**BANG**

The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion.

Shade pointed his right arm at the Shadow, while Io extended both her hands towards it. The result was a massive, swirling blast of wind that utterly devastated the masked blob. Once it was dead, Junpei shouted something and charged right at the other four Shadows who were, I guess, knocked down. I vaguely registered bolting after him with Yukari hot on my heels before everything descended into a chaotic flurry of attacks that obliterated the injured monsters.

I paused to catch my breath and suddenly a punch of cards appeared in my field of vision. One with a little fairy on it, two with coins on them. I blinked, and they flipped around and started shuffling about and spinning. I followed them with my eyes, then snatched one of the cards. It was the fairy.

_'You have welcomed the Persona Pixie into your heart!'_

Oh, cool, so that's how I get more Personas. Guess that makes those cards the 'seeds of possibility' Igor mentioned...

"Dude, Roy!"

I looked over at Junpei. "Yeah?"

"How'd you do that?" he asked. "That was frickin' awesome!"

I turned towards Yukari, then back at him. "No idea. I just tried to summon Shade to back you up before that Shadow got ya..."

"So did I." Yukari chimed in. "I dunno how that happened either!"

_"That was a Fusion Spell!"_

I raised an eyebrow and put my hand on my earpiece. "It was a what now?"

_"A Fusion Spell. When multiple Persona users attack the same Shadow at the same time with certain skills, it causes a reaction that unleashes a much more powerful ability. It would seem that Fortune and Takeba both having their Persona use Garu is one such combination..."_

"So we've got combo attacks we could potentially stumble upon pretty much whenever?"

_"To put it simply, yes. That is indeed the case."_

I bobbed my head. "Cool. Hafta make notes about ones we find then. There anymore Shadows left?"

_"No... It's rather odd, but usually more Shadows on the prowl. Though, I suppose you all at least gained some experience in battle. We should return to the dorm for today. There should be an Access Point somewhere on that floor you can use to return to the entrance. Since all the Shadows have been defeated, you should all split up and search individually."_

I clapped my hands once and began rubbing them together. "You heard the lady. Let's split up gang!"

Heheh... Scooby Doo was an awesome show.

* * *

><p>Less then a minute later, and Yukari found the access point thing. Junpei and me found random other stuff, but whatever. The access point was a little glowy thing on the floor. In related news, teleporting kinda is tingly.<p>

"Welcome back." greeted Mitsuru as the three of us stepped off some kinda terminal thing in the lobby. "So, how was it?"

I shrugged. "Easier then I was expecting, that's fer sure."

"I see. Well if you gained confidence, that's the best thing you could have achieved."

Eyebrow. Who the hell talks alike that? I mean REALLY.

"Wow... I never knew I had that kind of power!" exclaimed Junpei. "We kicked some ass! But damn, I'm beat..."

"That's cuz you were bouncin' around like a little kid."

"You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."

"I'm still trying to catch my breath, actually..."

I looked at the two of them. "Really? I feel fine."

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour; You'll become fatigued more easily." Mitsuru informed us. "As Fortune can attest to, you will adapt to it with time. But, I'm surprised... You all did much better than I expected." She looked back at Akihiko. "At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."

He scoffed. "Heh, we'll see about that."

**CRASH**

Buh? It's the Fool Card again...

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

Huh. So these things can pop up more then once? Interesting. Anywho!

"We're goin' back to the dorm now, right? I kinda wanna go to bed..."

* * *

><p>Author Notes - No excuses, I kept getting distracted while I was working on this one. I'm sorry. Also gonna give a little advance notice, the third chapter might take a *LITTLE* longer then this one because Saint's Row the Third comes out next week and I have that on Preorder. o3o<p>

Also, I'm aware this chapter is pretty much just Chapter 4 of AFNF spruced up a bit. I tried to have more then just the first trip to Tartarus happen, but the chapter was getting a bit absurd in length as it was so I just cut it off where I did. But hey, the Social Links are back next chapter so it's all good, right?

...Right? D:


	3. Social Links GO

Pre-chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Overlord Duelist** - Look up the author 'that-auburn-haired-chick' on my favorite authors. She's the one who drew it for me(ALSO HER PERSONA STORIES ARE AMAZING GO READ THEM RIGHT NOW AND SHOWER HER WITH LOVE)

**Astrih Konnash**- Of course Reshuffled's going to be interesting. Some things will seem familiar to readers of the original AFNF but they're getting some tweaks and that's the fun part! It's a twist on a twist - double the twistyness!

**zeyphr51** - Yeah, I'm trying to get a beta for this so hopefully the chapters stop having as many issues with spelling.

**Justhere21** - Don't wonder about what's different, see for yourself.

ALSO A BONUS ALERT: There's a TV Tropes page for AFNF now! Link on my profile, add to it if you feel like it. And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>The vast majority of the next day of school can be summed up as BORING. Even the speech Mitsuru gave because she got elected Student Council President wasn't especially interesting. The interesting stuff didn't happen till after school. And by interesting, I mean moderately horrifying.<p>

"Look! It's Akihiko-senpai!"

That statement drawing my attention as Junpei 'n me walked out of the building after school is entirely why.

It came from squeeing goddamn fangirls.

"Man, would you look at that?" asked Junpei as the two of us watched Akihiko get swarmed by what I think is roughly half the goddamn female population of our high school. "I hear they're always swarming him like that. I know he's captain of the boxing team, but come on! The only time you see girls flock like that is in anime!"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, seriously."

Akihiko's head turned quickly as he seemed to be looking for something, then he spotted the two of us and pushed his way towards us through the crowd.

"Hey!" he called out as he finally got out of the horde. "Are you guys free this afternoon?"

"Hell yeah!" Junpei replied all too quickly. "Whatcha got in mind?"

"I want the two of you to meet me at Paulownia Mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the police station."

Eyebrow, go! "The police station?"

"Why there?" asked Junpei. "You mean we're not hangin' out with your friends...?"

Akihiko raised his own eyebrow. "Who, these girls?" He indicated them with his thumb, causing them to squeal with glee. "I don't even know their names and they talk so much I get a headache. Anyways, I'll meet you guys there. Don't keep me waiting."

Without missing a beat, he started jogging away while the fangirls let out a collective groan of sadness.

"Aww... Why can't Akihiko-senpai be more friendly?" One of them pouted.

"But that's what makes him so cool!" said another, causing the horde to collectively SWOON before scurrying off to try and catch up with him or something.

I looked over at Junpei and he appeared to be speechless.

"Dude..." He said suddenly. "How can he not know their names! I mean just look at them!"

"You heard the guy. They never shut up and he gets a headache." I shrugged. "I mean, think about it. Would YOU want that many girls swarming you and talking? I'd go goddamn insane if that happened to me."

Junpei gave me a look that suggested he thought I was insane.

"Dude, don't give me that look." I said defensively. "I mean, what if you got the really crazy stalkers who like, will murder people just to be with you?"

His face paled. "Oh man, I hadn't thought about that..."

"Yeah, see? Now c'mon, let's go. I have no idea where the mall is so you gotta show me."

* * *

><p>One trip across Port Island later, and me 'n Junpei made it to the Police Station at the mall and were introduced to a cop who was willing to sell weapons to us SEES people despite knowing exactly nothing about Shadows and Tartarus 'n stuff. Also he looks and sounds like he could be an action movie protagonist to me, but whatever. Once intros were out of the way we just headed back to the dorm where Mitsuru stated that we'd go to Tartarus whenever the hell I make the request to do so, which was admittedly confusing, but I guess I AM in charge of running around in the local crazy bloody murder monster tower so whatever.<p>

Nothing worth mentioning happened that evening, but I bumped into that guy from my class who sits behind Junpei at the school gate the next morning. He seemed to think I was dating Yukari, but I quickly pointed out that was physically impossible due to knowing her, as of that morning, a grand total of about five or six days. Also that I loathe rumors about that sort of thing and if he would be so kind as to debunk it I'd be very grateful.

I hope my face wasn't too angry looking when I said that last thing, though. I might've made him afraid of me. Looming over the guy probably didn't help either.

Anyways, after class Junpei wanted to hang out so the two of us headed to a ramen shop across the street from the monorail station we ride to school. Kinda crowded when we showed up, but we snagged a seat pretty quick.

"Alright, can we get two specials over here?" Junpei asked.

I chuckled. "Not even bothering with the regular stuff?"

He scoffed. "Dude, totally. The normal ones are okay, but the special...? Pure. Awesome."

"It better be man, this is my first real bowl of ramen ever."

His jaw nearly fell of. "You're kidding."

"Nope. I've lived in America for the last ten years man, they don't have ramen shops over there. Well, they might but I never found one."

"Dude, then you definitely gotta try this!" He exclaimed right as our food arrived. "Seriously, take a bite."

I shrugged. "Alright then. Itadakimasu."

Let's see how this holds up...

…

"Well? It's good, right?"

"This goes beyond good and straight to completely freaking awesome FOREVER."

"Haha, that's the spirit man! Alright, Chow time!"

* * *

><p>"Oh man that was good..." I said, patting my stomach contently after I finished my bowl of ramen. "Let it never be said I can't appreciate damn good food. Thanks, dude."<p>

Junpei grinned. "No problem, man. Besides, with all the stuff we gotta do I figured I'd treat ya. I had some problems when I transferred here, but you're from outta the country on top of everything else. Just a little worried my pal might be havin' a tough time getting' used to things is all."

I grinned back. "Thanks man. Glad to hear somebody's got my back."

"Haha, like I said. No problem." He said, then he rubbed his chin. "Say, you think anything'll happen cuz there's guys and girls livin' in the same dorm?"

"Between Mitsuru-senpai and Yukari-san? I honestly doubt it. They don't seem like the type to do that sort of thing."

He laughed. "Ah, relax. I don't drag love into my work. Can't guarantee some hottie won't make me fall for 'em, though!"

"Same here man." I laughed back, fist bumping with Junpei.

**CRASH**

Wait what the hell? That's not the Fool this time... it's... Magician?

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana..._

Well now, that's... wait, CREATE? I can make these things too? Damn.

"Hey, you okay man?"

Right pay attention. "Huh?"

"You spaced out there... you okay?"

I shrugged. "Man, I haven't been okay for ten years. I'm not sure what the hell is goin' on with me anymore." I sighed. "But whatever, you feel like hittin' Tartarus tonight? May as well, right?"

"Hell yeah!" He replied, slapping down money to pay for the ramen as he hopped to his feet. "Let's get goin' man!"

* * *

><p>Once we actually got to Tartarus, I was kinda tempted to head straight to the Velvet Room but I just skipped out on that option and headed straight up the tower with Junpei and Yukari. Things got off to a weird start the moment I summoned Shade.<p>

"The hell?" Junpei asked as Shade punched a Shadow to death. "Am I just seein' things, or is Roy's Persona different?"

"Nah, you ain't seeing things dude..." I said, taking note of a new, dark gray pattern set that had appeared on both of the sleeves of Shade's jacket. "My 'sona has new markings on his coat."

Yukari looked at me as Shade vanished. "How'd that happen?" She paused. "Wait, don't tell me- You can't be weird in a normal way?"

I nodded. "Yeah, probably. But... is it just me, or did the things on his sleeves look like the wings on Junpei's Persona?"

"Dude, I was thinking that too!" exclaimed Junpei. "You tryin' to copy my style or something?"

"What? No!" I said, then I stopped myself from arguing further. "Wait... maybe..."

"Maybe what, Fortune?"

"Personas are like our minds or whatever, right?" I asked. "Well, people can change and have new experiences and whatnot, so maybe my Persona reflects that?"

"I've never heard of something like that happening before..."

I shrugged. "Anything is possible, I suppose. Like this for example..."

On cue, I used my Evoker and instead of Shade, Pixie came out and healed me.

"Dude!" shouted Junpei. "What'd you do to your Persona now?"

"I have more then one. Because really, I cannot be weird in a normal way."

"Th-That's impossible!" exclaimed Mitsuru over the com line. "H-How did you...?"

I shrugged. "You know how I said I was being magical the other day when I was walking over to what you guys see as an empty corner of the lobby? Yeah, that's involved in this and I understand it far less then you people do."

**BANG**

"Aw man..." complained Junpei as Hermes appeared. "I've only got him..."

Eyebrow. "Dude, look at him. He's a badass motherfucker. Do you really NEED anything else?"

Junpei stared at me for a second, then grinned. "Hell no! Hermes 'n I'll kick the crap out of anything that gets in our way!"

"Like a boss." I laughed. "Alright, let's keep moving..."

* * *

><p>Several floors later, and I had a few more Personae hanging around in my head and we're squaring off with three big ugly bird looking Shadows on this oddly straightforward floor of Tartarus. That said, these birds are fucking assholes and I want them to go die in a goddamn fire. Junpei had the same idea but apparently these things get HEALED by fire.<p>

He's also taking cover behind Yukari because they're throwing around wind blasts and, as Junpei and the rest of us found out, Hermes is weak to wind. So what have I been doing while this was going on? Running for my goddamn life and trying to counterattack.

Keyword being 'trying'.

"How fast are these damn things!" I shouted angrily as Shade's punch was dodged by one of the birds. "This is bullcrap!"

Yukari tried in vain to hit the Shadows with her bow. "What do we do? These things are gonna kill us!"

"I got an idea!" Junpei said. "Everybody, summon your Personas!"

"You think it'll work?" I called back as I placed my evoker against my head.

"I have no idea!"

"GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!"

"Hermes!" "Io!" "Shade!"

_**BANG**_

...Okay sense when the hell did any of our Personas know how to make giant fuck off spikes of rock shoot out of the ground and impale the shit out of demonic bird things?

"Do it again!"

NOT ARGUING

_**BANG**_

And another one bites the dust.

"One more!"

_**BANG**_

Three step up, three go down. But first! "Junpei how the hell did you know to do that?"

He laughed and rubbed his neck as he sat down. "I was guessing, dude. I mean, you and Yukari figured out that super tornado thing, so I thought if I joined in with Hermes we might make it into a huge sword or something..."

"It seems you've discovered another Fusion Spell..."

"Oh cool, so-" Whoa what the hell cards in my face again

Hrm. No Personas on this one, let's see what getting the Sword does...

…

"...Roy-kun...?"

I stared at the katana that'd materialized in my hand after I grabbed the Sword card. "Can't be weird in a normal way. And I'm already getting sick of saying that."

* * *

><p>After that was all done with, we found a gizmo that can teleport us to the bottom of Tartarus so I headed to the Velvet Room where Igor told me it's his job to fuse Personas for me to use. I got him to do just that because I'd apparently reached my storage limit for carrying them so now I'm down to three total counting Shade. We headed back to the dorm after that with Mitsuru hounding me for every detail about how I was getting new Personas and how I got that sword to just magically appear in my hand, so I told her about the card shuffle things. Velvet Room and Social Links I can't really prove so I didn't bring them up.<p>

Around lunchtime the next day I heard people talking about sports clubs and, figuring getting some training outside of Tartarus couldn't hurt, I went to check out what was available. Looking at the listings and... no, no, hell no, that's stupid, no, HEY Mixed Martial Arts? Now that's right up my alley.

* * *

><p>"This is Roy Fortune, he'll be joining the team." said the coach once I'd shown up to join the club after school. He indicated a tan skinned girl with blue hair. "This is Yuko, our manager."<p>

She smiled at me. "I'm Yuko Nishiwaki. Nice to meet you."

I tipped my hat. "Likewise, Yuko-san."

"You're a junior, right?" she asked. "Since we're in the same year, you can just call me 'Yuko'."

"Alright, if it's cool with you." I said with a shrug.

"Hey! Kazushi!"

I looked over and a tanned guy in a karate gi was walking towards us from the training mat.

"This is the future captain of the team." the coach boasted proudly. "He's a great fighter and always scores well in competitions." He glanced between me and the 'future captain'. "You two are in the same class, right? Kazushi, keep an eye on the new guy here, okay?"

Kazushi nodded. "You got it, Coach!"

He looked at me while Yuko and the Coach walked over to the other guys still practicing.

"You're the guy who went out with Yukari Takeba on the first day fo school, right?" He asked. "You're practically-"

"No."

He blinked. "Huh?"

"No, I didn't go out with Yukari-san on the first day of school." I told him. "I'd known her for a grand total of the entire trip to school that morning at the time because I'm living at the same dorm as her. And no, I'm not dating her right now nor do I currently PLAN on dating her. Please, don't listen to the rumors about me. Just ask me straight out and I'll tell you." I tilted my head. "Savvy?"

Kazushi just gave me a weird look. "Okay then..." He shook his head. "Anyways, I'm Kazushi Miyamoto. You've seen me around, right?"

"Yeah, you're the guy who sits near the back window in 2-F and always has a track suit on."

He grinned. "Yep, that's me! Long story short: From now on, you're mine after school. Just because you joined mid-season doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."

I laughed. "Dude, after what I've gone through in the Blue Crew Kung-Fu Boot Camp, I don't expect you to."

He raised an eyebrow. "...'Blue Crew Kung-Fu Boot Camp'...?"

"Friend of mine and her little sister are big on self defense so I got them to teach me stuff that my uncle already hadn't. Best you don't ask for details."

"Alright then." he laughed. "Better share them moves with the rest of us, ya hear?"

"No prob."

**CRASH**

JEGUS CRIPES

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Chariot Arcana..._

Chariot now too? Huh. Guess I'm gonna be getting all the Major Arcana out of this...

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next week or so, I fell into a routine of sorts. Things seemed normal, spooky brain voices and Tartarus notwithstanding, so I was admittedly a little... I dunno, at ease I guess. I spent time at the MMA Club, hanging out with Junpei, and actually making a few more Social Links.<p>

First one was Heirophant with a nice old couple who runs a bookstore at the strip mall near the Iwatodai Station, second was Emperor when I joined student council(at Mitsuru's request), and the third was Hermit with, surprisingly, someone on an MMO that Junpei recommended I try out. I'm not sure how it works, but I guess I'm channeling the power of the internet into any new Personas I make. That's gotta be cool. Speaking of Arcanas, apparently I can now sense them from people. I can also sense Personas if someone has one and get a basic idea of how tough it is. Not like a scanny thing, just a sort of warning beacon or whatever.

Anywhozle, we had a few trips to Tartarus over the week, but nothing major beyond now being Elizabeth's errand boy and getting sweet loot for it and us getting stopped by some kinda barrier thing happened. And right now it's Friday, the weather's warm, I'm disgruntled because I like winter, and Yukari roped me into tagging along with Junpei to take something to Akihiko at the hospital.

"Man, I still don't get why you wanna tag along, Yuka-tan." Junpei sighed as the three of us walked towards the room Aki was in. "He asked ME to bring him the roster..."

"Well it's probably important so having us all there couldn't hurt." she replied, then she looked at me.

I shrugged as we approached the room, Junpei going straight for the handle. "I guess so, but if it's just class roster for 2-E that's the kind of thing that-"

I stopped dead just inside the room, Yukari and Junpei infront of me. We were all looking at some thuggish looking guy in a burgundy peacoat with a black beanie on his head sitting on a chair in the corner.

But I don't think they were seeing what I was seeing.

Castor. Hierophant Arcana. So powerful compared to me that just looking at the guy was making it hard for me to fucking breathe. I just stood there, stock still as they were talking. I didn't understand or really hear any of the conversation until the guy stood up. He started to leave, but he stopped to look straight at me.

"...The hell is your problem?" He growled.

I twitched, trying to manage to say something.

"Who... are you...?" I finally ground out with visible strain.

He cocked an eyebrow, then looked away. "Tch. Doesn't matter to you, pal."

He pushed past me and out the door, and the moment he was out of my line of sight I could breathe again. I staggered and grabbed the edge of the room's bed to steady myself.

"Roy-kun, are you okay?"

I shook my head slowly. "I... have no idea..."

"What happened to you?"

I turned around and sat on the bed, looking at Akihiko. He must've shown up durring all the talking.

"Who the HELL was that guy?" I sputtered. "He ain't normal! Not by a longshot!"

Akihiko twitched. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he's got a Persona!" I said. "And god damn, that thing could end ALL OF US by itself!"

Thankfully me sensing Personae is not a bit of info for them, but Junpei and Yukari's jaws are currently on then floor. I'm still trying to get my breathing under control.

"The hell's his story, senpai?" I asked. "I mean, I doubt he'd have been here if you didn't know the guy personally..."

Akihiko sighed. "He's a former member of SEES. We had a bit of a falling out a couple years ago and now he refuses to help us." He scowled. "I've been trying to get him to join us again but it's like trying to talk to a brick wall."

"Erright then..." I said, getting up. "Leave that to you then. Let's just get out of here..."

* * *

><p>"Good evening."<p>

**"YOU CAN'T PROVE I MICROWAVED THAT GRENADE!"** I shouted as I practically shot out of bed in the middle of the night. I looked around and... it's the Dark Hour... then who- Oh hey, that kid's back. "Oh, uh, hey kid..."

"It's been a while." He said with a grin. "Are you well?"

I shrugged, hoping nobody heard me shouting and come investigate as I sat cross legged on my bed. "Can't complain. Life's gotten weirder since you got me to sign that contract, but I can't complain."

He laughed. "Glad to hear it. By the way... it'll be a full moon a week from now. You should be careful, a new ordeal awaits you."

Eyebrow. "What cha' mean by that?"

"You will encounter one of THEM. You must prepare for the ordeal, but time is of the essence."

I grinned. "After all, no one can escape it."

He grinned back. "And it delivers us all to the same end."

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

He blinked in surprise. "Um... sure..."

"How'd you get in here?"

The kid smiled again. "I'm always with you."

"Then how come I've only seen you a grand total of three times?"

He blinked again, his smile being replaced with a look of confusion. "Well, you've got a lot to deal with, so I thought it was rude..."

I frowned. "I don't wouldn't find it rude. It'd be nice to have someone else to talk to, honestly."

His eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, really!" I said. "I mean, if you're watching me and just not showing up you gotta be kinda lonely, right? That's not right if you ask me." I held out my hand. "So whaddya say? Wanna be friends?"

He just stared at me in silent awe before he took my hand and shook it. "Yeah."

**CRASH**

Whoa wait what

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Death Arcana..._

"Wait what?"

The kid laughed again. "Well, that was unexpected..."

"Wait, you actually heard that?"

He nodded.

"...Huh." I shrugged. "Eh, whatever. It's a thing. So, you got a name kid?"

He frowned for a sec, then smiled again. "I'm Pharos."

"Nice to meet yah, Pharos." I said. "I'm Roy, but you probably knew that."

He chuckled. "Indeed."

Pharos hopped off my bed and looked at me.

"You're probably tired, so I'll let you get some rest." he said. "See you in the morning."

"G'night, Pharos."

* * *

><p>"It's be-" WHAM why have I still not changed that? And why did I set my alarm when it's a three day weekend?<p>

"Good morning."

"Hey Pharos..." I yawned, groggily sitting up.

He looked over at me from his spot on the chair at my desk.

"What do you want to do today?"

I shrugged. "I dunno... somethin'..."

Before he could presumably ask something else, there was a knock at my door.

"It's Yukari! Are you awake?"

The hell...? "Yeah, I'm up... one sec..."

I rolled out of bed and staggered over to unlock my door and open it. "Sup?"

Yukari took one look at me and tried not to laugh.

I sighed. "I've got bed head, huh?"

She just nodded.

I ruffled my hair with one hand and grumbled a bit. "So what'd you want?"

"Well, I wanted to go out today, but then I thought about how little we talk about anything, so..." Yukari rubbed her neck awkwardly. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

Eyebrow. "This is about those stupid rumors about me dating you, isn't it?"

She sighed. "You heard those too, huh?"

"Oh yeah. From several people." I yawned again. "Just go wait in the lounge, I'll be ready in like..." I looked at my watch. "Ten minutes."

"Alright."

I watched her walk away, then looked back over my shoulder at Pharos. "You were standing right in her line of sight, weren't you?"

He nodded.

"And she didn't say anything."

He nodded again.

"Huh. This warrant further investigation."

"Indeed."

* * *

><p>True to form, ten minutes later and I was ready to go, so me 'n Yukari headed off. Pharos jumped up and down infront of her face and she didn't react in the slightest, so I guess he really is magical and I'm the only one who can see him. Also apparently he can hear my thoughts to some extent. So on top of a small battalion of brain demons in my head I now have a psychic ghost buddy. Fun times.<p>

That aside, I'm at a cafe in the mall with Yukari right now. I don't normally drink coffee, but she really recommended the special brew this place has and HOT DAMN it's good stuff.

"So... um..." she began suddenly. "There's... kinda something I wanna talk to you about..."

Eyebrow. "And that would be...?"

"W-Well... Um..." She suddenly squirmed in her seat. "Ugh, why is it so hard just to talk to people?" she blurted out, her eyes wrenched shut. "I-I'm sorry!"

"What?" "What?"

You're confused too, Pharos?

"Well yeah."

Huh.

"I-I mean, I'm sorry I unloaded all of that stuff about me on you at the hospital..." said Yukari. "And saying that I'm like you when you lost both your parents and I only lost my dad..."

"Oh, that. No worries."

"B-But I ignored how you've might've felt and forced my own opinions on you-!"

I held up a hand. "Seriously, it's fine Yukari-san. I'm not offended or anything." I offered a sympathetic smile. "Not used to talking to people?"

She rubbed her arm. "A little... Junpei and I have been friends for a while and we just joke around a lot, so talking to him is easy... but I'm not good at confiding in others..."

"I know the type. Ya just gotta try finding someone you can really talk to, ya know?" I said before taking another swig of this awesome goddamn coffee. "You'll get better at it eventually."

Yukari smiled at me. "Thanks, Roy-kun..."

**CRASH**

Hooba jooba wha

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Lovers Arcana..._

…I seriously need to get better at predicting when these things happen, huh?

"Yep."

"By the way... who were you talking to?"

I looked at Yukari. "Eh?"

"When I walked up to your door, I heard you talking..." she said. "Who were you talking to?"

"I talk to myself sometimes." I told her. "No real reason why, I just do."

She giggled. "So you can't even be normal in a normal way?"

"Hey, I resemble that remark!"

* * *

><p>Time passed, nothing major happened, and the next day I logged onto that MMO again.<p>

[Maya: wb, tatsuya *^_^* good to see u again] Oh hey, that girl in gray's online. [u remember me rite? =/]

I laughed to myself. [Tatsuya: Of course I do.]

[Maya: u really DO remember!1 n_n this is exactly liek when maya and tatsuya remember ^_^-b]

[Tatsuya: I wouldn't know o3o;]

[Maya: o rite... lol hmm... what kinda people r we, playing inside on such a beautiful day?]

[Tatsuya: Sunlight is for wimps. We're hardcore.]

[Maya: HahahHAha! dman straight! XD] She seems to be enjoying herself. [its not like we're otaku or ne thing irl ne way. lol... we're s'posed to be leveling, but we jus keep chatting =3 but hey, grinding gets old rite? its more fun talking to u, tatsuya.]

[Tatsuya: I'd have to agree with you there, Maya.]

I wonder if...

**CRASH**

YES called it for once!

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hermit Arcana..._

[Maya: zomg! Umm... i'll be afk for a while, so i'm logging off. sry! i forgot the big sale ends today =x]

[Player Maya has logged off]

Hrm. What to do now... eh, I'll log off too.

"So what now?"

I looked over at Pharos. "I dunno, maybe we should-"

I was interrupted when my Skype started going off telling me I had a call. I clicked accept and-

"WHAT THE HELL ROY!"

Ow... "Hi Zoe."

"Don't 'Hi Zoe' me you lunatic. Why the hell haven't you talked to me in over two weeks?"

"Uh... I was in a coma for about ten days?"

"...What."

"Yeaaaaah..."

"Who's that?"

"Zoe Darius, a good friend of mine."

"Who're you talking to?"

I sighed. "You want the short, long, or magical version?"

"Whichever one explains what the hell you're talking about."

"Magical it is."

* * *

><p>Thirty minutes later and Zoe now knew what the fuck.<p>

"So the technical name for that teleporting thing you showed me is the Dark Hour?"

"Yep."

"And you shoot yourself in the head with a special, possibly even magical, gun to summon psychic monsters to fight demons in a tower that is normally your high school except when the Dark Hour is going?"

"Double yep."

"And you have a ghost buddy named Pharos who's psychic and made you sign a contract... and you're fueled by the power of friendship."

"Triple yep."

"...Roy your life is a goddamn mess."

"And that's the way, ah-huh ah-huh, I like it."

"Stop that."

I grumbled. "Fun ruiner, but fine. Anyway, how're things back home? Alison still getting into trouble?"

"She's right next to me, dude."

...Oh. "Hi Ali."

"You're a meanie!"

"Oh come on, I was just kidding!"

"Meanie!"

"Hey, you want me to send you awesome Japanese goodies or not?"

"...Okay, I'm sorry..."

"Cool, now go torment my uncle or something and I'll send ya a Totoro plushie."

"Yay!"

"Why are you bribing my little sister?"

"Why not?"

"Touche, but Rick might get mad."

"Yeah, because he didn't think of it sooner. Seriously though, things goin' okay?"

"Yeah. Usual Seattle stuff. Tracey's outta town, though."

Oh? "Since when?"

"About a week after you left. Said he had business."

"Doesn't he always. Where's he off to this time?"

"Wouldn't say. Maybe he'll stop by your place and say hi?"

"Eh, hard to say with him."

"Who's Tracey?"

"Tell ya later, Pharos."

"Oh yeah, your ghost buddy is there. You sure he's even a ghost?"

"No idea, but it's probably at least close."

"Aaaah, I gotta go. Alice's here."

"Have fun on your date."

"Shhhhaddup you."

And then she closed the Skype chat.

"Who were those people she was talking about?"

I spun around in my chair to look at Pharos. "Tracey's kind of a family friend. Weird guy. Alice is basically Zoe's best friend."

Pharos raised an eyebrow.

"Say it and she'll kill us both, she can punch through the internet. Also she's the one who taught me most of what I know about fighting so yeah, she'd probably find a way across the Pacific just to beat us up. Even if beating you up isn't physically possible, she will. And that's without getting into her older twin brother, Rick."

Pharos swallowed hard. "They sound like a riot at parties..."

"You know it."

* * *

><p>Nothing worth talking about happened on the last day of the weekend thing, so now I'm back at school. Off to MMA club today, but there wasn't any sports tape to use as hand wrappings so Yuko went to go pester one of the other clubs. Not being one to laze around, I tagged along so I could at least do some jogging. Ended up heading out to the Tennis Courts where I guess the Girls Tennis Team was meeting. There was only like five people there so I don't even know.<p>

"Excuse me! Could I borrow some of you guys' tape?" Yuko asked once we got a little closer.

One of the girls looked over at us. "Oh, Yuko..."

"Sorry, we ran out." Yuko apologized. "Is it okay if we take some from the box?"

"Not a lot of people here." I noted loudly. "You guys the entire team?"

The first girl who spoke up sighed, hanging her head slightly. "No, most of the team's gone today..."

"I wonder where they heard about that group date..." mused Yuko. "Seriously, I don't know if I should be appalled or jealous..."

"Wait what?" I asked in unison with a different girl.

"Hey, you idiot!" shouted one of a trio of girls standing away from us.

"...Group date?" that first girl doesn't sound happy. What's her Arcana... Chariot.

"Oh... Ohhhhh... you didn't know..." Yuko rubbed her neck. "Sorry, I heard the girls in the tennis club talking about it at the shoe lockers..."

Chariot girl scowled. "So, everyone went to that?"

"No, Shouko-chan wasn't in class today." piped up that girl who spoke up the same time I did. Fortune Arcana and HEY I know her! She sits next to Yukari and she was listening to music at that assembly on the first day.

"That's stupid..." spat Chariot. "Why'd they hide it from me? All this running around behind my back is so irritating!"

"I know the felling." I added. Your thoughts, Pharos?

"I know less about these people then you do, Roy."

Oh right. Nevermind then.

"Well you'd get angry if we told you!"

"Well of course she'd get angry!" chimed in the Fortune girl, crossing her arms and stepping next to Chariot. "You're going behind her back!"

"H-Hey, calm down...!" Yuko, I admire you're trying to play peace keeper but somehow I don't think it's gonna work.

"Yeah, seriously." Hush Pharos.

"What a pain... they're just taking a breather." Grumbled one of the other girls. "What's wrong with that?"

Fortune and Chariot raised an eyebrow at the exact same time.

"You call a group date 'taking a breather'?" asked Chariot with a 'are you shitting me' tone.

"Yes!" snapped the other girl again, throwing one of her arms up slightly. "I don't expect someone who's never been in a relationship to understand it-"

"Whoa, what does THAT have to do with anything?" cut in Fortune. "And didn't you guys nominate her leader of the team?"

"Exactly!" agreed Chariot. "Or did you all forget about that?"

"If we knew you'd turn out like this we never would've nominated you!"

"Well it's too late now!" Chariot retorted.

"Screw this!" The girl shouted. "This isn't worth my time... I'm done with this stupid club."

"Then why'd you join in the first place?" demanded Fortune, getting right up in that other girls face.

"Tch, you're just as much of a pain in the ass as she is!" said the girl, gesturing at Chariot vaguely. "I don't care about keeping up with either of you!" Wait, what's she doing with her arm- Ah hell no. "Now get out of my face-" And denied. "H-Hey, what're you doing? Let go of me!"

I looked down at the girl as I had my hand clamped around her wrist. "Yeah, not when you're about to slap someone for petty reasons. So, you just gonna turn and walk away now?"

"W-Whatever, just let go of me gaijin!"

I scowled, then let go of her hand. She quickly scurried way with her two pals. I turned my attention back to the three other girls. Fortune was just kinda looking at me funny.

Eyebrow. "What?"

"You didn't have to do that, you know." She said, giving me a disproving look.

I shrugged. "Didn't have to, but I did anyway. Just the kind of person I am."

"What's your name?" asked Chariot.

"Roy Fortune." I said. "Ya know, the infamous 'new guy'?"

Fortune giggled. "I wouldn't call you infamous, Roy-kun. I'm Hamuko Arisato."

"Rio Iwasaki." said Chariot with a smile of her own, then she sighed. "Sorry you had to see that..."

"Eh, no biggie. I've seen worse arguments over similar things. Might not be my business to budge in, but I don't think they should've acted like that."

"N-No, but... Rio, you should really try to make peace with them..." stammered Yuko. "I'll try to help, too..."

Rio scowled. "They're the ones that are wrong."

"Don't get so worked up about it, Rio-chan." said Hamuko. "I'm sure things will work out."

I pointed my thumb at Hamuko. "Yeah, she's probably got the right idea. Anyways, you got the tape we needed Yuko?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah..."

"Erright then." I bowed towards Rio and Hamuko. "We should probably get going then." I cracked my knuckles. "Kaz wanted to spar today."

* * *

><p><strong>WHAM<strong>

"Ow..."

I winced. "You okay Kaz? I forgot how brutal the Trace Special is cuz I haven't done it in a while..."

"Yeah, I'm okay..." he groaned as he lay sprawled out on the mat. "Where did you learn that, man?"

"From a friend named Tracey, hence why it's called the Trace Special."

He laughed, still trying to catch his breath. "Man, you don't even look tired... what kinda training do you do?"

I shrugged. "Normal stuff for a while, but I've been going for more special training since I got to Japan."

"That's what I though..." he panted, finally sitting up. "Or else... I wouldn't be this worn out..." Kaz laughed again. "Roy... you're crazy."

"Without a doubt." I agreed.

"Still, jeez... you destroyed me and I'm the best on the team! I knew the Bay Area competition would be tough, but I never expected someone like you to show up..." His gaze suddenly turned fierce and he glared straight at me. "I've made up my mind! I'm gonna beat you one day, Roy!"

I laughed and helped him to his feet. "You're on, Kaz."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Chariot Arcana..._

Coolies.

"Guh!"

Whoa what "You okay, Kaz?"

"I dunno..." he grunted. "I think I twisted my knee..."

I winced. "Shit, better take it easy on the way home then, okay?"

"Alright. See ya later."

* * *

><p>Next day rolled by as per usual, minus the addition of Pharos hanging around and commenting on things at random. Walking home on Friday, though, we got to talking.<p>

"So what'd you mean when you mentioned an ordeal on the full moon?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, I just know something's going to happen then."

"Like what?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you."

Hrm... "Wait, after I woke up from that mini-coma and you stopped by, you said I'd overcome my first ordeal, right?"

Pharos nodded. "That's right."

"And that first ordeal was that huge knife wielding Shadow..." I said. "So would that mean the next ordeal is another one like that thing?"

Pharos rubbed his chin. "You're probably right. You should be careful then, it might not be anything like the last one."

"Good point." I agreed. "Any suggestions?"

"You have until tomorrow night to finish preparing, so maybe another trip to Tartarus would be wise?"

"Nah, we went on Wednesday so I think we're good..." I said. "And I got new back-up Personas from Igor yesterday, so I guess I'll just have to call it good and hope for the best."

Pharos smirked. "What was that saying... 'Hope for the best, but expect the worst'?"

"Hah, pretty much."

* * *

><p>Author Notes - Distracted as hell again or this Chapter would've been out on the 1 year anniversary of the original A Fool Named Fortune. But hey, better late then never right? If all goes well, my Christmas Gift to you people who actually read my cruddy writing will be the first Full Moon Operation of Reshuffled(Which is in fact the very next chapter). If I don't get it out in time, then Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope you have a wonderful time! :D<p>

As for my usual comments on the chapter itself... mwehehehehe, I don't think any of you saw this coming. :D


	4. Magician's Might and Thalia the Grace

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Dragginninja** - Sorry man, I'd love to help but I have my hands full working on Reshuffled and other stuff. And if you wanna find out why Sour bailed from this site and took his stories with him, ask him yourself. I don't have all the info.

**Overlord Duelist** - No, the microwaved grenade was not canon. It was the dream he was having right before Pharos startled him awake, and I felt like having it back in the story again because it amused me. There are other Noodle Incidents, however. Like the Las Vegas trip where Roy got banned from a few casinos.

**Evilshroom** - Haha, I see what you did there. I'll probably have someone else correct Roy or he'll get it right that time. XD

**KazuSakai**- 1. Roy is nicer because Yukari is nicer. She's had a few minor tweaks to her personality to try and make her more likable(by my standards).

2. Yes, Shade is Roy's initial Persona. Roy's Ultimate Persona and how he attains it is also different, but you'll have to wait and see about that.

3. Pharos, at the final rank of his Social Link, appears during the daytime when the Protagonist wakes up in the game. Thus he hangs around with Roy during the day.

4. Yeah, I'm trying to get a beta to fix all of the typos. I had someone look this chapter over, so hopefully it'll be better.

**Justhere21** - Yes, Pharos is cool. And expect a few other surprise appearances. In fact, there's a cameo later on in this chapter. If you can figure out who it is(from the admittedly small hints given) then I will be impressed.

ALSO A BONUS ALERT: There's a TV Tropes page for AFNF! Link on my profile, add to it if you feel like it(And I'm going to put this alert in like the next few pre-chapter review answer things so get used to seeing it). And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Once Saturday rolled around, I was kinda tense most of the day. The Full Moon tonight, and if Pharos and I are actually correct, we've got trouble heading our way tonight. I'd planned on heading straight back to the dorm, but that plan changed once I heard someone stammering in what sounded like my direction.<p>

"A-Ano... R-Roy-senpai...?"

I turned around and saw Chihiro Fushimi, a rather timid girl who happened to be the Student Council treasurer, looking up at me. She's androphobic and has a hard time talking to people on the council since like, half of them are dudes. I've actually managed a couple short conversations with her at lunch and that seemed to have helped her try to start getting over the said phobia.

"Sup Chihiro-san?" I asked while Pharos seemed to be sizing her up.

"Um... W-Would y-you like to walk h-home with m-me...?" she asked, trying to not look exceptionally nervous. She was not succeeding.

I shrugged. "Sure. I don't see a reason not to."

She seemed surprised. "R-Really...?"

"Yeah, really." I said. "Let's go."

"You're really going to go with her?" asked Pharos.

Well, yeah. I mean it's better then freaking out about whatever the hell might happen tonight, wasn't it?

"I suppose it is..."

* * *

><p>And in spite of it being the most awkward walk to anywhere in the history of existence, it was still better then thinking too much about what surprise was in store for me tonight. It took until we got all the way to the dorm before she said anything.<p>

"I-I'm sorry! I was just thinking about something to say... b-but I couldn't come up with a topic you might be interested in, Roy-senpai..."

I shrugged. "I don't mind. I couldn't think of anything either, really..."

She looked up at the building. "This is... the Iwatodai Dorm, right?" She turned back towards me. "You live here, Roy-senpai?"

"Yeah. 'Till I graduate, anyways..." From there it's anyone's guess the hell I'll be doing.

"My house is in the other direction..."

Eyebrow. "Really? Huh. Guess I should've asked." I rubbed my neck. "Sorry 'bout that. I've just kinda gotten into the habit of heading back here I guess."

"N-No, please don't apologize senpai!" Chihiro said. "It's my fault... I-I knew we were going the wrong direction, but I didn't say anything..."

"Well then would you like me to walk you home? I got time to kill." LOTS of time.

"Oh ho, making a move already are we?"

No, Pharos, it's called being polite.

"Oh, n-no, I-I'll be fine!" she exclaimed, her face turning red. "B-But... thank you very much for making time for me, Roy-senpai..."

**CRASH**

GOD DAMN fuck I was not expecting that

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Justice Arcana..._

Justice? Huh. I should really pay more attention to people's Arcana... Anyways! "Alright then, I'll see you at Student Council then, Chihiro-san."

"A-Alright!" She bowed quickly "Goodbye, senpai."

* * *

><p>If there's one thing I'm glad about, it's that I have trouble sleeping on full moons, so I was going to be staying up late as hell anyways. With that said, I was still surprised when an alarm started blaring about five minutes into the Dark Hour. Cue me snatching up my gear(which amounted to a magical armored version of what I dub my 'trademark' look that Liz gave me as a reward for doing one of her requests) and bolting up to the command room. Surprisingly, both Yukari and Junpei were suited up as well when we all got there.<p>

"Where is it?" Junpei asked, popping his knuckles. "I'll rip it a new one!"

"We've detected a Shadow outside of Tartarus," Mitsuru reported. "We don't know for sure, but we think it's another big one."

"Looks like we were right..." Pharos noted.

"We have to defeat any of them we find, as quickly as possible," she continued. "Most people don't know the Dark Hour exists, but if half the city is destroyed..."

"Then people are going to freak out." I said grimly. "And that is never good."

"So in other words, we need to kick some ass right?" asked Junpei. "Well count me in!"

Mitsuru nodded. "Very well. Akihiko, you stay here and wait for the Chairman."

"Wha-? Are you kidding? I'm going!"

"Aren't you still recovering from when that big Shadow attacked the dorm?" I asked. "Or did I miss a memo?"

"No, you didn't." Mitsuru glared at Akihiko. "He's still in no condition to fight, and would hinder the operation."

Akihiko grumbled under his breath.

"Have faith in them, Akihiko. They're ready."

"Besides, if big ones like this are a regular thing, then you get first crack at the next one." I held out my hand. "Deal?"

He smirked and shook my hand with his good arm. "I'll hold you to that, seeing as how I really don't have a choice. And you're in charge."

"Him again...?"

"Guess so." I shrugged. "Where we going?"

"Iwatodai Station." said Mitsuru. "I need some time to prepare, so you three should get going."

"Alrighty then. Let's roll out, guys!"

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, and the three of us, plus Pharos, were at the entrance to the station and sitting on the stairs.<p>

"Dude, Junpei, why were you so miffed I got put in charge again?" I asked. "Did you want a crack at it or something?"

"Well yeah." He admitted straight up. "I mean, isn't it cool bein' the hero and all that?"

I laughed. "Oh I get it, you're thinking in like video game or anime terms of things. In which case, you don't wanna be the boss."

Both him and Yukari looked at me funny.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Well the hero gets a girl in the end, right? In our case, you're like the heroes' best friend – You're the rugged badass who gets the chick who is usually hotter then the one the leader guy gets. Bonus points if you swayed her from her evil ways with your love for her."

Junpei's jaw dropped as the realization dawned on him. "Dude, you're totally right!"

Yukari giggled. "So if you're the hero and Junpei is your right-hand man, who am I?"

"You're probably the Chick if I'm the Hero, and Junpei is the Lancer." I said. "Which would make Akihiko-senpai the Big Guy and Mitsuru-senpai the Smart Girl."

"What about me?" asked Pharos.

Sixth Ranger, duh.

"Cool."

"Oh, by the way Roy, has Shade changed again?" Junpei asked. "It's like every time we do something he's a little different..."

"Good question." I replied, putting my Evoker against my head. "Let's see what he's got now."

**BANG**

"...Doesn't look like he's changed since the last trip to Tartarus. Wait a sec..." I stood up and moved closer to my Persona. "The cufflinks are new. Old ones didn't have a spade symbol on them and were yellow instead of silver."

Oh yeah, and Shade's changed a bunch since last time I brought this up. His hair style's different, his eyes have a slightly different shape and are now white, he's rolled up the sleeves on his jacket, got a new skull belt buckle, and he's got square buttons on his vest along with bandages on his upper left arm.

"It's weird how your Persona keeps changing Roy-kun." Yukari commented as Shade vanished.

I shrugged. "It might have something to do with my multiple Personas thing, but whatever." I checked my watch, not caring that it wasn't even working right now. "Wonder what's taking Mitsuru so long..."

"She'll probably be here soon." said Junpei. "I mean, she seems like the type to not wanna be late if ya ask me."

"Yeah, I get the same feeling." Yukari agreed, then she looked up at the moon. "There's a full moon tonight... but it looks really creepy during the Dark Hour..."

I laughed. "You want creepy? Try waking up to a blood red skyline, black sun, and gray clouds. That shit is creepy."

"Oh yeah, you've seen the Dark Hour in the daytime, huh?" she winced. "That's..."

Yukari paused when a rumbling noise starts closing in on us.

"What the...?"

And then Mitsuru arrived on a motorcycle, complete with an obligatory hair flip when she pulled off her helmet.

"That's just not fair." Pharos whined. "She has to know she's pretty!"

Dude totally.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Mitsuru apologized. "Nothing should have changed aside from me being here to provide support. The target Shadow is currently located inside a monorail not far from the station. To get there, you'll have to walk on the tracks."

"Are you serious?" sputtered Junpei. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not in the Dark Hour." I said. "Electronics don't work right now, so why would the monorail tracks have power either?"

"But what about Senpai's bike?"

Mitsuru smiled. "It's special. Now, if circumstances change, I'll notify you immediately."

"Awright then." I said, clapping my hands together, then pointing over my shoulders with my thumbs. "Autobots, roll out!"

...Now they're giving me weird looks.

"Get used to the weird, it's not going away. Ever."

* * *

><p><em>"There's a monorail about two-hundred meters ahead."<em> Mitsuru said over the transceiver as we started running down the monorail tracks. _"You have to stop the Shadows before they harm the passengers. Hurry!"_

"Don't have to tell us twice, Senpai!" I retorted. Pharos, that ordeal you mentioned is in the Monorail right?

"Most likely." He said, bounding down the tracks next to me. "You want me to see if I can scout it out?"

Oh, that would be helpful. Think you can get on top of the monorail cars?

"Probably, yeah. Might be hard to talk to you, though..."

Well if you can hear my thoughts, maybe I can hear yours?

"Good point. I'll have to try that." Pharos glanced ahead. "There's the train!"

"Alright guys, there it is!" I said. "That the monorail the Shadow's in, Senpai?"

_"Yes, the readings on the Shadow are coming from inside of it. Proceed with caution."_

"Got it!"

"Heheh, my Persona's just beggin' to be used!" Junpei exclaimed, moving straight towards the ladder on the monorail and climbing into... the...

"Guys why the hell are the doors on this thing open when it's not at the station?"

Junpei froze in the doorway of the monorail car, then looked back at me. "Uh..."

"Oh man, this thing set a trap for us?" stammered Yukari.

I scoffed. "Trap nothing, it wants us to kick its ass. Right Junpei?"

"Hell yeah!" He agreed. "C'mon Yuka-tan, I'll help you up!"

"O-Okay..." she said, moving towards the ladder, I looked back towards Pharos.

Need any help getting up there?

"Just a boost would be good," he replied. "I can't jump that high."

Erright, c'mere.

I knelt down and Pharos climbed onto my shoulders. I stood up, then let him use my hands as stepping stools to let him jump onto the top of the monorail car.

"Roy, what're you doing?"

"Just stretching." I lied. You all set up there?

"Good to go, Roy."

Awright.

I went over to the ladder and climbed into the train, and the doors shut behind me.

"Yep, it was a trap." I sighed. "Senpai, can you still hear us?"

_"Yes. Proceed with caution, the Shadow likely knows you're there."_

"Got it." Pharos, anything going on topside?

_'Nope. And can you hear me?'_

Yeah, perfectly. Lemme know if anything happens lil' buddy.

_'Alright.'_

"Let's go." I said, waving Junpei and Yukari forward.

As we started moving through the cars, one thing stood out besides the random odd coffins:

There weren't any Shadows around.

"It's so quiet, it's creepy..." Yukari commented after about the third straight car with no Shadows in it.

Damn it, doesn't she know that's just asking for trouble-

**WHUMP**

"FUCKING SHIT GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" I shouted, flailing around as I tried to yank whatever landed on my head off of me. "GET IT OFF!"

I finally got it off and threw it down, and it turned out to be a Shadow that promptly... ran... away...

…

**"BITCH TOOK MY HAT. IMMA FUCKING KILL IT."**

"Fortune, calm-"

**"TALK LATER, IT'S MURDERING TIME."** I bellowed, barreling after the motherfucking hat stealing Shadow like a pissed off rhino.

It took me two goddamn cars to catch the fucker, and he had FRIENDS waiting for me when I finally caught him.

I got into a quick brawl with the lot of them, so hopped up on adrenaline and righteous that I was ripping them apart with my own hands. It was exactly as awesome as it sounds.

Also, quick rule to remember for me: Unless I give you permission, DO NOT MESS WITH MY HAT. You will regret it. No exceptions.

"Roy-kun! Are you okay?"

I looked back and Yukari 'n Junpei were running towards me. "Yeah, I'm good. What happened?"

"Dude, we got jumped by Shadows while you were running after your hat!"

...Oh. "Well I had to fight and kill like six by myself here, so I guess it evens out..." I turned around an- "Wait what in the fuck?"

"Huh?"

"What's SHE doing here!"

_"What's going on there? What happened?"_

I blinked. "Senpai... there's someone else here... and she's not transmogrified like the other passengers..."

_"WHAT?"_

I stared at the sleeping form of Hamuko Arisato in an orange sweater and red skirt for a moment before answering. "She's not transmogged, Senpai. And she's asleep."

_"Well, I don't detect any movement, so as long as you act quickly she should be alright..."_

Before I could reply, the train lurched. Pharos, what the hell?

_'The monorail's moving, that's what the hell.'_

"Why're we moving?" shouted Junpei.

_"It seems the monorail is under the enemy's control..."_

"NO, YA THINK?"

Hamuko stirred slightly, then pushed herself upright in her seat. "What's with all the shouting...?"

Shit. "Uh..."

It took her a few moments before her eyes snapped open completely. She looked around quickly. "OH MY GOSH WHY IS IT ALL DARK AND BLOODY AND WHY DO YOU ALL HAVE SWORDS AND GUNS AND WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"Explain later!" I replied, then I tapped my transceiver. "Senpai, is this monorail gonna hit anything?"

_"If you can't stop it, it'll crash into another train!"_

DOUBLE SHIT. "How much time till that happens?"

_"Approximately eight minutes."_

TRIPLE SHIT. "Okay, you two heard the boss lady, we need to move NOW or this thing's gonna crash!"

"CRASH?" shrieked Hamuko. "Wh-What's going on?"

"The train got hijacked by monsters and we're here to kill them!" I told her. "Just stay here, we'll take care of this."

"But-!"

"No time to argue!" I spun around. "JUNPEI."

He looked at me. "Huh?"

I held up my Evoker. "Bash Brothers time. You ready?"

He grinned. "Anytime, dude!"

"Shiny." I smirked, twirling my evoker on my finger. "Let's be bad guys."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana..._

Rock on. "Alright, let's go!"

I spun around again, then threw open the door to the next car and charged through with Junpei hot on my heels. I vaguely heard Hamuko shouting from behind me, but I didn't have the time to respond to her because I was already punching a Shadow in the face to get it the hell out of the way.

Pharos, what's going on up top?

_'A lot of nothing besides something in the distance getting closer!'_

Well at least you're not wading through- BLOCK, KICK, DODGE, PUNCH -Shadows, right?

_'True. I'm almost to the front car. I think that's where the Shadow is.'_

Cool. Be careful up there, even if you can't technically die.

_'Alright.'_

We ended up brawling our way through about three train cars before we reached the final one.

"Senpai, how much time left?"

_"Four minutes, thirteen seconds."_

I took out my Evoker. "Yukari, on my signal open the door. Junpei, you 'n me are gonna double team whatever is on the other side with our Personas then charge in while it's stunned. Got it?"

"Got it!" They replied at the same time.

I took a deep breath to steady myself. I pressed my evoker to my head as Yukari stood at the door to the front car. I looked over at Junpei and he nodded back at me.

"Alright Yukari!" I shouted. "Open it!"

"Okay!"

"LET'S ROCK, JUNPEI!"

"PERSONA"

**BANG BANG**

"MAGICIAN'S MIGHT: HERMES FLAME!"

Hermes and Shade burst forth, shooting through the open door before they fully materialized. Once in, they burst into flames and did a double flying kick at whatever was in the front car. Something shouted in pain as Junpei, Yukari, and I charged into the room behind the Personas.

And for the record, I have no idea how the fuck me and Junpei did that but it was awesome.

"Senpai, scan this thing!" I shouted as Shade and Hermes vanished. "Persona!"

Jack Frost appeared and launched an Ice attack at the Shadow, only for it to bounce back and hit me in the face. Good thing Jack's completely immune to Ice.

"Okay, Ice doesn't work for shit!" I noted as I dodged some random floating hairs from the Shadow. It looked like a giant chick with one side painted black and the other side white, by the way. "Plan B! Bring down the thunder!"

I evoked Shade again and he let off a Zio. He's actually probably my most useful Persona because he's got skills from several elements. I only use other ones because they're more specialized sometimes. The Zio actually worked, but apparently pissed off the Shadow more then it already was because it's now calling in help.

Lots of help.

"Damn it, where do these things keep coming from!" roared Junpei as he evoked Hermes. His Persona ripped through several Shadows while he personally slashed a few others in half. "There's almost no end to them!"

"You have two minutes and forty-two seconds left!"

...Fine then.

I tore apart one of the small Shadows and crushed another one under my heel, then reached into my jacket to get at the wrappings on my right bicep.

"Limiter off." I said, yanking the bandage off my arm. "Let's get dangerous."

I dropped the wrapping and drove my fist completely through a charging Shadow, my hand reaching the floor so I could properly flip myself over another one and crushed a third one as I landed. I leapt forward and kicked two more Shadows out of my way as I closed in on the large Shadow. It launched an ice attack at me, but Jack Frost nullified it as I shoulder tackled the stupid monster in the stomach. I followed up with a left-handed punch that actually broke the Shadow's skin and caused it to howl in agony before it managed to bitchslap me away from it hard enough to launch me off the ground and into Yukari.

I got off her and back to my feet, grabbing a nearby Shadow and throwing it at a different one as I charged the main Shadow once more, my evoker pressed to my head.

"SHADE!"

**BANG**

He appeared in front of me, then grabbed me and threw me at the Shadow. It caught me by the arm, but I swung my leg around to smash it in the face to get it to drop me. It worked, and I landed hard on the floor of the train right in front of it. I got up to attack again but another blast of ice sent me sliding away.

_"ONE MINUTE REMAINING!"_

_'Roy, that other train is getting closer!'_

God damn it! I'm not giving up! I REFUSE!

"WHOA WAIT WHAT ARE YOU-"

I staggered up quick enough to look at what Junpei was shouting at.

Hamuko was standing there with someone's evoker against her head, her other hand clenched over her chest.

Is she gonna-

**BANG**

_'I am thou... and thou art I...'_

Something started to take shape behind Hamuko.

_'From the sea of thine soul, I cometh...'_

It was a gray skinned woman in what looked like a light blue and black combination gown and jester costume. She had black hair that reached her shoulders and wore a smiling harlequin mask and matching jester cap.

_'I am Thalia, Grace of Good Cheer!'_

What.

I didn't get much more time to ponder because Thalia suddenly chucked a knife at the big Shadow, then charged towards it. I glanced at Hamuko and her mouth was twisted into a psychotic grin. I looked back at the Persona she summoned and it just reached the target Shadow, stabbing two more knives into its chest before swinging itself up so it was sitting on the Shadow's shoulders. It laughed as it produced two more knives it then promptly rammed into the eyes of the Shadow. It shrieked in agony as Thalia vanished.

"Persona!" **BANG**

Hermes shot past me and drove his foot through the wounded Shadow's torso, which was apparently enough to finish it off.

But the train's not stopping.

"SHIT!" I barked, charging straight towards the door the Shadow had been blocking as Yukari and Junpei began panicking behind me. I threw it open and grabbed the first lever I saw as Mitsuru shouted about only having twenty seconds left, pulling as hard as I could. The screeching of the brakes and the screams of someone filled my ears.

* * *

><p>I slowly opened my eyes a few moments after all the noise stopped. I could see the other monorail train about ten feet away through the front window. I let go of the brake and stepped back slightly.<p>

"Is everybody alright?"

I staggered out of the control booth to find Yukari, Junpei, and Hamuko all slowly getting back to their feet.

"Ha... my knees are still shaking..." Yukari commented.

"Dude..." sighed Junpei. "I'm like drenched in sweat..."

"Wh-What was all that...?" Hamuko sputtered, now looking confused and scared instead of like some kind of lunatic. She stared at the evoker still in her hand. "H-How did I...?"

"We'll explain later." I said. "Let's just get off this train now..."

_"Yes, you should all come home now."_ chimed in Mitsuru. _"I don't detect anymore Shadows on the monorail... and it would be best if I spoke to the person you found myself."_

"Alright Senpai. Be there in a bit."

"Hey, Roy-kun..."

Hrm? "Yeah, Yukari-san?"

"How did you know which one was the brake?"

I laughed nervously. "Lucky guess, really..."

"Dude are you shittin' me?" asked Junpei, then he just sighed. "Man, whatever... Anyone else hungry?"

"Oh, I am!" said Hamuko, raising her hand and bouncing up and down slightly. "You guys can explain all this to me while we eat!"

I just laughed. "Yeah, that's gonna hafta wait a bit. For now we gotta get off this Monorail..."

**CRASH**

Whoa huh?

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

Neat.

* * *

><p>Suffice to say we got off the monorail due to shenanigans. Hamuko's order of food with a side of heavy exposition had to wait till morning due to Mitsuru being put on the spot, but Hamuko wouldn't budge so we had to take her with us to the dorm and promise to explain over breakfast once the sun was up.<p>

I got woken up a little early by a phone call from Elizabeth, who mentioned something about Tartarus and wanting me to come to the Velvet Room before hanging up. I was pretty groggy so that's about all I was able to catch. Once I was dressed and everything, the whole gang plus Hamuko were gathered in the lobby. Lots of boxes of take-out were on the table.

"So how much has been explained so far?" I asked with a yawn as I plopped down on the couch next to Junpei. "Also, good mornin'."

"We went over the main points while you were getting dressed, Fortune." said Mitsuru as I snatched one of the take-out containers off the table and started eating. "I was in the midst of explaining Personae when you arrived."

I glanced over at Hamuko. "You catching all of this okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah... It's a little far fetched, to be honest... If I hadn't seen all that last night, I don't think I'd believe any of this..."

"I don't blame you." I said. "And that's just the NORMAL weird stuff without getting into the vortex of utter logic-defying insanity that is my existence..."

"What do you mean?"

"Roy-kun is..." Yukari began, pausing for a moment and making a face. "Well, in his own words he can't be weird in a normal way."

Hamuko just looked even more confused.

"Fortune has displayed abilities neither myself nor the Chairman have ever seen exhibited by any Persona User we've encountered." Mitsuru said. "Of course, neither of us have encountered very many..."

"How many have you met, senpai?" asked Hamuko pretty much instantly.

"Discounting everyone present save for Akihiko, I know two."

Akihiko shifted uncomfortably in his seat when she said that. Mitsuru must've been talking about that guy from the hospital.

"What about the Chairman?" Junpei asked. "How many does he know?"

"You'd have ask him yourself, Iori." said Mitsuru.

"But what makes Roy-kun different from everyone else?"

I laughed. "Oh, where to start... Let's see, I can use more then one Persona, see a blue door that lets me fuse Personae I acquire through killing Shadows into new and stronger ones, my main Persona seems to get a wardrobe change every time I make a new friend, and I am apparently capable of magically conjuring weapons out of thin air instead of getting Personae after beating Shadows because of some bizarre as hell alignment of the stars when I was born or some shit."

"What, I don't warrant mention?" asked Pharos from his seat on the sign in counter.

I'd prefer to not have everyone looking at me like I'm crazy right now. No offense intended.

"Ah. None taken, then."

"That's... pretty different..." Hamuko said slowly.

I bobbed my head a little. "Yeah. I honestly don't get how it's possible either but I can't really stop it from happening so I'm kinda just rolling with it." I ate the last bite of food in the take-out container, then flipped it closed. "So do you need me for any more explaining, or is it okay for me to go somewhere? Got a couple things I planned to take care of today..."

"No, your... description of your abilities was all I wished for you to discuss." replied Mitsuru. "Please try to not return late, Fortune."

"No problem. Lemme know how it all goes."

* * *

><p>"So what happened?"<p>

I looked at Pharos as the two of us were walking to the monorail station. "What happened where?"

"To your arm." he clarified. "You were carrying some bandages in your hand after you got off the train, then you wrapped them around your arm before you went to sleep. Did you get hurt?"

"Oh, that..." I sighed. "It's... a bit more complicated. I didn't get banged up too badly, but the sarashi on my arm was completely unrelated to that whole thing on the train."

Pharos raised an eyebrow. "Then what was it about?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Part of a promise I made to a friend. You remember Zoe from that Skype call I got the other day?"

"So you made a promise with her to wear a bandage on your arm?"

"For good reason." I said seriously. "Zoe's kind of a scrappy sort of girl. When I said she taught me most of what I know about how to fight, I wasn't kidding around. I don't know exactly why, but she knows a few assorted martial arts. My uncle was teaching me some of the basic Marine hand-to-hand he knows from his time in the military, she showed up in the middle of one of our sparring matches, then she wiped the floor with him when she asked if she could step in. And trust me, seeing a four-foot somethin' blonde girl beat up a guy around three times her age is a surprising thing to see when you're ten."

Pharos frowned. "But what does that have to do with the bandage on your arm?"

"Ah, that comes with what's UNDER it." I told him. "I've got a tattoo on my bicep. It was a birthday present for my last birthday before I came here to Japan. And before you ask, that's where the promise comes in. See, Ali's the one who designed it and my Uncle was cool with me getting one. Before I left to come here, Zoe made me swear to wear sarashi over it all the time."

"Why?"

"So I wouldn't bust out the more hardcore stuff she's taught me on random punks who might take issue with me."

"Oh right, because you're a foreigner?"

I nodded. "Yep. Even though I was born in this country, I still look more the part of someone who's not from here."

"Okay, but then why did you pull it off last night?" he asked. "I mean, if you were putting it back on..."

"Because shit was hitting the fan. Basically if I take the wrappings off my arm, then I'm done goofing around and something's going to get its shit wrecked. I call it a 'limiter' because of that."

Pharos nodded in understanding. "Okay then, but what about when you're at club practice?"

"Well the worst I can do there is that one grab move Tracey showed me." I laughed. "I'm not about to go all out on the guys in club. That'd just be cruel and unusual punishment in my book."

"But what if they asked you to do it?"

"Well that's a different story entire-"

"Hey, you okay man?"

"GAH!" I jumped and whirled around. A guy was looking at me funny. Nice leather jacket he's got, though. "Uh, what cha' mean...?"

"You were talking to yourself..." He said uneasily. "You hit your head or something?"

...Right. I'm talking to Pharos in public. Fun times. "Nah, I just think out loud sometimes without realizing it."

"You sure you're..." His eyes darted slightly to the side for a moment. "...Okay..."

He started making a weird expression and jerking his head a little.

Eyebrow. "You okay man?"

"Huh?" the guy looked at me. "Oh, uh, yeah..." He rubbed his neck. "Just a little sore..."

"Don't do that."

I looked down at Pharos slightly.

"No, really, that's not very nice." He said, frowning and crossing his arms. "Would you like it if someone hit you in the face?"

Pharos?

"No, I don't think I am." He commented with a shrug. "I'm not entirely sure at all... what about you?" He went silent for a moment. "Ah, I see..."

"Who are you talking to?" I asked, then I looked right at the other guy because he'd asked the exact same question at the same time I did.

We just stared at each other for a moment.

"I gotta get goin'..." I said, pointing over my shoulder. "I'll see ya around, dude..."

"Uh, y-yeah, take care..." He replied, then turned and walked off.

I started towards the monorail again and looked over at Pharos.

"Do I wanna...?"

He shook his head. "No, probably night. I don't even know either..."

"Right... I'll take your word for it..."

* * *

><p>One monorail ride and a walk later, and I was at a sort of 'back door' to the Velvet Room that somehow got set up in a back alley of Paulownia Mall. Nothing to lose, so I just marched straight in.<p>

"Hey Igor, hey Elizabeth." I greeted them as I walked in with Pharos still following me. Yeah, I'm not even questioning why he can do that. "So what's the big news you called me down here for?"

"I've been asked to inform you of a way I might be able to assist you on your journey." replied Elizabeth, then she held up that book she always carries to me. "This is the Persona Compendium. You may register any of your Personas in this book and, for a fee, withdraw them from it at any time."

"Really? Lemme have a look at it then..."

She handed me the book and I flipped it open. Kinda empty, just a few bits of info about the few Personae I've already found. Except Shade, but I assume that's because I can't use him to fuse anything new.

"So, wait, is there like one page for every Persona I could potentially fit in this thing?"

"Indeed. And they are categorized according to their Arcana."

"So they are." I said, noting tabs on the sides of the pages. "Wait, why is Judgment on here twice?"

Elizabeth looked confused. "What do you mean?"

I pointed at the last two tabs of the book. "You got the Thoth tarot deck version of it, Aeon, listed here, but it's basically the same thing."

"Ah, that is because you can in fact utilize both Arcanum once you are sufficiently powerful."

"Wait, what? How does that even work?"

"You have the potential to be a very unique guest, my young friend." Igor chimed in. "But you must discover the answers behind you own abilities on your own. It is not our place to inform you of them, but merely to assist you in your usage of them."

I looked at Igor, then sighed, closed the compendium, and handed it back to Elizabeth. "Alright, alright..." I started towards the door where Pharos was waiting. "I'll catch you both later..."

"Wait a moment, please."

I stopped and looked back at Elizabeth. "Yeah?"

"There was another reason I called you here today, Master Roy."

Eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"You are to escort me around the location known as 'Paulownia Mall'."

"Oh, that's- Wait I have to do what now?"

* * *

><p>So now I'm walking out of the Velvet Room with Elizabeth and I'm honestly not sure what the hell to make of it.<p>

"You're on a date?"

Pharos, that is not helping.

"Ahh, yes... an intimate encounter with one of your world's rarities...!" Elizabeth said suddenly. "This must be a 'fountain'..."

"Mmhm." I hummed, tucking my hands into my coat pockets. "That's a fountain alright."

"It makes sport of water, well known to all to be the foundation of life... How wicked!" she continued. "It's rumored that its enchanting nature grants wishes to those who sacrifice a few coins..."

I shook my head. "Nah, that's just a superstition."

Elizabeth seemed disappointed. "...Is that so? Is it possible that the worth of the coins wasn't sufficient to pique the fountain spirit's interest...?"

"No, it's-"

"Fortunately, I anticipated this, and brought a good supply of coins. Two-thousand of your five-hundred yen coins, to be exact."

"Wait you did what now?"

"I shall make an opening bid to the fountain spirit of one million yen." She said, approaching the fountain and pulling a small blue purse out of her pocket. She opened it up, and tipped it... over...

…

…

"How did she fit all that in there?"

I WANNA KNOW THAT TOO, PHAROS.

"Ah...! I was so caught up in the excitement of tossing in coins, that I hadn't given my wish any thought." said Elizabeth with a slight pout as she put her purse away. "I shall give it more careful consideration before I return here in the near future..."

I glanced at the fountain as Liz started walking away, noting the swath of coins on the bottom of it. I glanced up and a random couple was looking at me funny. I just shrugged, then turned around to catch up with Elizabeth before she disappeared from my sight entirely.

"What is this facility here...?" Liz asked, staring at the Police station. "There are some stern-faced gentlemen inside... And these photographs displayed so prominently... Most Wanted... Reward..." She looked at me. "Am I... correct in thinking of these as your version of my subjugation requests?"

"It's close enough." I said. "You gotta bring the person on the poster or assist in getting them caught to get the reward though..."

"I see... Perhaps I should test your skills in a similar manner..."

Wait what- PHAROS STOP LAUGHING.

"B-But... PAHAHAHAHA!"

God damn it, not- Oh where's she going now?

"This edifice over here..." said Elizabeth before she wandered over to the door to the club 'Escapade'. "It can't be... is this... a 'club'?" Suddenly, her tone grew excited. "Dancers, dictated by the sway of one's inner passions... a subterranean garden of uninhibited spectacle..."

Uh...

"Huh? No... it's not closed for business now, is it?" she asked when she tugged on the door handle. She turned back to me. "Such a pity... I had hoped to join the wild ritual... Hrm... perhaps if I..."

...Okay, where did Elizabeth learn to do the Macarena?

"Ooh~! That was quite satisfying!" exclaimed Elizabeth. "But I'm overwhelmed... everything looks so new and inviting. Everywhere I look, something catches my eye. If you wouldn't mind, perhaps you could recommend our next activity?"

I rubbed my neck. "Uh... how about the arcade?"

"This 'arcade'... I have a heard of it before. I recall it described as a playground where one sports with electric fairies in exchange for tokens," she said. "I have also heard that they contain games where one controls a bird to win prizes... I'm eager to see it."

"Well, then let's-"

"Ah, excuse me... would you mind waiting for a moment?"

Eyebrow. "Uh... okay..."

Elizabeth strolled over to another fountain and took out her... purse...

Don't tell me-

"...I wasn't aware that there was a fountain on this side as well."

...Yep. She is...

"Hm? Yet another fountain, on the opposite side..."

...Oh god...

"She's... interesting..."

I'm not sure interesting covers this, Pharos... Well, at least she's done dumping that impossible purse out into the fountains...

"I apologize for the wait." said Elizabeth when she walked back over to me. "Let us continue."

"Erright, let's go."

* * *

><p>Author Notes - Yeah, shit, sorry I got distracted again. Tried to get this out before- FUCK it's midnight as I'm writing this. DAMN IT, argh... oh well. I wanted to get this out TECHNICALLY yesterday(my time) because it was Roy's official Birthday. *le sigh* Oh well. ANYWHO, sorry this one took so long as well. Hopefully I can get back into a steady rhythm and churn out chapters quicker. Also, I'm apologizing in advance because I've been coming up with a LOT of dumb ideas that will probably make their way into the story at some point. Anyways, I hope I can get the next chapter out faster then this and that's all I wrote. Later days!<p> 


	5. Fool's Will

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**KazuSaki** - You hit the nail on the head about a lot of foreshadowing but no, Hamuko isn't bipolar. She just has moments of insanity is all. Her character is based off how a good friend of mine roleplays her to be perfectly honest.

ALSO A BONUS ALERT: There's a TV Tropes page for AFNF! Link on my profile, add to it if you feel like it(And I'm going to put this alert in like the next few pre-chapter review answer things so get used to seeing it). And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"Well that was an adventure."<p>

"You can say that again, Pharos..." I sighed. "Liz is way more energetic then I expected..."

"At least the mall wasn't very busy at the time."

"Oh hell yeah, that would've made it worse..." I agreed as I pushed open the front door of the dorm. "So what've I missed everyone?"

"Ah, welcome back."

Apparently Captain Creeper. "Heya Mr. Chairman."

"It's a shame you were gone so long." he sighed. "I was on my way out when you opened the door."

"Really? Guess that is a shame." I said, stepping out of his way. "Guess I'll see you some other time then."

He grinned that creeper grin of his. "As they say, time flies..." He paused half a step out the door. "Hmm... or at least it does when you throw a clock out the window... Heehee!"

Ikutsuki closed the door behind him before he could make another time pun. I just groaned before looking back at the lounge. Only people there were Akihiko and Junpei.

"Where'd the girls go?" I asked.

"They left a few hours ago to help Hamu-tan pack up her stuff and move over to the dorm." said Junpei, a smirk on his face. "Looks like we get another lovely lady to hang out with, dude!"

I bobbed my head, strolling over and plopping down on an armchair. "Cool. So now it's, what? Four of us who can head into battle till Akihiko-san gets better?"

"Don't remind me..." sighed the man in question. "And by the way, someone stopped by looking for you."

Eh? "Really? You get a name from them? I don't know a lot of people here in Japan outside of you guys."

"Yeah, something Zahama..." said Junpei. "His first name sounded foreign but he spoke Japanese really well."

Well now. "Zahama, huh? He leave a message?"

"All he asked was we let you know he stopped by." replied Akihiko. "Then he just turned around and left..."

"Yeah, sounds like him alright. Was anyone with him?"

"No, he was alone. Why?"

"Just wondering is all..." Hrm... What's Tracey up to then...?

"The girls are back." Pharos said suddenly.

I turned my head towards the door just in time for it to open, Mitsuru and Yukari walking in with a bunch of bags... while Hamuko was dragging in a few big suitcases.

"Hey there." I greeted casually, waving at the three of them. "Need some help?"

Mitsuru looked back at Hamuko, then at me again. "I believe Arisato might."

"Yes please..." She groaned tiredly, setting the suitcases down. "These are really heavy..."

"Alrighty then." I said, hopping up and walking over to her. "Where am I taking these?"

"The third floor, duh." replied Yukari as she and Mitsuru started towards the stairs. "Set them down up there and we can handle the rest."

I shrugged, picking up the two heavy looking suitcases, while Hamuko adjusted the large backpack she was wearing. "Erright."

Heavier then I expected, actually. The hell did she pack in these things?

"Rocks?"

I doubt that, Pharos.

"Is he always like that?"

I looked at Hamuko as we reached the second floor. "Who always like what?"

"The chairman." She said, shuddering and making a weird face. "Is he always such a creeper?"

I laughed at that. "You think he's a creeper too? Damn, he sucks at making a first impression doesn't he?"

She nodded grimly. "Yeah... I mean, there's weird and then there's straight-up creeper..."

"Best keep that under wraps, if ya don't mind me saying." I said. "Though part of me thinks Yukari-san might agree..."

Hamuko looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"It's more fun that way."

She giggled. "You're weird, Roy-kun."

I laughed again. "Weird does not even begin to cover it, Hamuko-san."

* * *

><p>Not much worth mentioning happened the rest of the day except killing time on that MMO again and talking with Maya, and even that wasn't super interesting. Monday sucked hardcore because the teachers said 'HEY GUESS WHAT, EXAMS NEXT WEEK'. So all the clubs are closed down so everyone will study for them, meaning I can't practice with Kaz. Day after that was likewise hardly worth mentioning till kinda late at night back at the dorm.<p>

"Man, I'm tired of studying..." Junpei griped from his seat next to me in the lounge. Group study session goin' on here and all that jazz. "Let's go to Tartarus, Roy."

I tapped my pencil against my chin. "Well, technically we do need to show Hamuko-san the ropes..." I looked over at Mitsuru. "It okay with you, Senpai?"

"Normally I would disagree, but giving Arisato the chance to see what it's like sooner rather then later would be for the best." She said. "All I ask is that you keep studying till it's time to leave."

"Fair enough, right Junpei?"

He sighed. "I guess..."

* * *

><p>"This place is so cool!" Hamuko exclaimed once the Dark Hour hit and we walked into Tartarus. "I wonder what happens to it during the rest of the day..."<p>

"That's a question for another time, I'm sure..." I said, putting my gauntlets on. "Probably won't be that long of a trip because of that barrier we ran into, though..." I looked at Mitsuru, and she had a weird look on her face as she was messing with her scanning stuff. "Somethin' wrong, Senpai?"

She didn't look at me. "I'm not sure... it seems as though the barrier you encountered is gone."

Eyebrow. "Gone? So in theory we can go higher in the tower now?"

"Correct, Fortune."

"Shiny." I span around towards the teleporter thing. "Let's be bad guys."

* * *

><p>And up we went. Pretty smooth sailing with four people, actually. Hamuko's Persona seems to be an ice specialist along with Piercing attacks, so it was easier to blast weaknesses and it put less strain on me to swap around Personae if need be. Once we got past where that barrier used to be, though, things started getting harder.<p>

"BRING IT ON, BROTHER!"

And by 'harder' I mean Hulk Hogan shadows appeared, spouting Hulk Hogan quotes while trying to crush our heads.

I wish I was kidding about that. Thankfully there doesn't seem to be industrial strength versions of these bastards on the loose, the normal ones are enough of a pain. Those jerks aside, not even the Shadows who seem to be camping out on some of the floors were especially tough. Of course, the smooth sailing didn't really last once we came across a floor with absolutely no Shadows on it.

"Am I the only one getting' nervous here?" Junpei asked as we looted the tenth or so random Tartarus briefcase full of loot. "It's way too quiet."

"I'm nervous too, Junpei-kun." said Hamuko. "It's creepier without anything moving... around..." she paused, then looked around. "Did anyone hear that?"

Me and Yukari looked at her.

"Hear what?"

_"This feeling..."_ Mitsuru said suddenly, cutting off Hamuko. _"It must be Death..."_

It must be what? "Senpai?"

_"GET OUT OF THERE! NOW!"_

I looked at the others. They looked at me. Then I heard the sound of rattling chains. Then we all took off like bats outta hell.

"Senpai, any idea which way the stairs are?" I shouted as we ran.

_"They should be up ahead, just keep moving! Whatever you do, don't stop!"_

"What's going on, Roy-kun!"

I glanced back at Hamuko as we rounded a corner. "I HAVE NO IDEA!"

Our pounding footsteps echoed through the halls of Tartarus, but I could hear something faint. It sounds like chains rattling or something... Pharos, you hearing that?

_'No, I'm sitting here watching Mitsuru have a panic attack. What're you hearing?'_

Chains rattling.

_'...Yeah, run faster.'_

Wh-

_"It's getting closer! If you don't get away fast enough you'll all be in grave danger!"_

...Grave danger, huh?

"Roy, why'd you stop?" asked Junpei, looking back at me. "You heard Senpai, we gotta bail!"

"Go."

"Huh?"

"Just go!" I exclaimed. "I'll hold whatever that thing is off, you three just get the hell out of here!"

_"Fortune, you cannot fight it!"_ Mitsuru cut in instantly. _"None of you can! Just get to the stairs. NOW."_

Yukari looked at me in a panic. "Roy-kun, listen to Mitsuru-senpai!

"JUST GO!" I barked. "The longer we argue, the closer whatever that is gets!"

Junpei scowled, then nodded. "Alright man, but you better make it back! Yuka-tan, Hamu-tan, let's go!"

"But-!"

"Let's go Yukari-chan!" said Hamuko, grabbing the other girl by the wrist and semi-dragging Yukari along as she ran off after Junpei.

I sighed as Mitsuru continued to shout at me, turning around. I took out my Evoker, twirling on my finger a few times before gripping it. The chains just kept getting louder.

_'What are you doing up there? Mitsuru's flipping out about you...'_

Gonna try and fight whatever the hell is chasing us.

_'...Why?'_

Because running is for cowards?

_'...You have problems, Roy.'_

You'll get used to it.

_'Provided you're still alive.'_

Psh, I'll be fine. Now hush so I can focus. Even if Mitsuru is still yelling at me.

And so I just kinda stood there, evoker against my head. Chains are getting... HOLY FU- "SHADE!"** BANG**

Shade exploded out of my head and straight at the thing that'd been chasing us. Creepy bugger, it looked like a large, floating, bloody and torn jacket with a bag tied over his head that had a single hole in it where a glowing yellow eye was staring out. In its hands were revolvers with three foot long barrels...

...And Shade punched it in the face, smashing the things head into a wall. And now time is slowing down a little, so let's do that AGAIN!

**BANG**

Shade charged in again, driving his fist into the thing's head and somehow managing to BREAK THE WALL and bury the thing under it.

Okay, legit distraction, now to run!

_'NOW you run?'_

Well yeah, it's buried under most of a wall Pharos! I run fast enough while it's still stunned and it shouldn't be able to counter attack!

"Roy!"

I looked ahead, seeing Junpei standing just inside the room with the stairs.

"Dude, you okay?" He asked as I got closer. "We heard something come crashin' down! What happened?"

"My Persona punched the thing that was chasing us into a wall." I said to him. "I have no idea how, I just..." Whoa, dizzy... "Just wanna get outta here because WOW I am not feeling very hot now..."

"You okay...?"

I shook my head. "Nah... I feel like I'm gonna pass out... Urgh..."

* * *

><p>"Fortune."<p>

...She's not mad. "Yeah Senpai?"

"How did you do that?" Mitsuru asked. "That creature was far stronger then any of you..."

Eyebrow. "Uh, how much is 'far stronger'?"

"Almost tenfold." She said. "And your Persona struck it with nearly that same level of force. Twice."

"Well that explains why I'm tired as all hell... Can we just get out of here please...?"

Mitsuru nodded. "Very well, but how did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I just didn't wanna let anybody get hurt. I mean, I'm in charge of running around up in the tower, so if somebody get seriously injured it'd be my fault." I grinned weakly. "Besides, I gotta look out for my friends too."

"I see..." said Mitsuru, a faint smile on her face. "I'm glad you're taking your position seriously."

I chuckled as I continued leaning on Junpei. "Not in me to half ass things, but seriously. Can we go home now? I don't wanna pass out and make Junpei hafta carry me the whole way back."

* * *

><p>I learned on the way back to the dorm the monster that Shade adrenaline punched into the wall is called the Reaper, and from the way Mitsuru shuddered when I asked about the first time they encountered that thing it probably deserves the name. Oh yeah, and we're not going anywhere near Tartarus until after exams now. I'm just existing in a state of 'NOPE' about going in there right now, and studying would probably be better then getting killed or eaten by the Reaper.<p>

After school the next day, though, I wasn't in any rush to get back to the dorm so I headed to the bookstore. Figure they might have something to help with studying or somethin'.

"Oh, you came back!" Exclaimed Bunkichi as I walked in. "Welcome, um... What was your name again?"

I chuckled. "C'mon Bunkichi-san, you're old but you're not that old."

He laughed as well. "Haha, I was just joking! My wife and I were just talking about you, Roy-chan. Say, do you like Melon breads? Someone gave them to me, but I have more than enough. You can even take one for a friend too, it'd take Mitsuko and I far too long to finish them all."

FREE FOOD! "Sure, I'll take a few. Like, three I guess? And thanks."

"Ha, you're welcome..." He said as he handed me the bread, then he frowned. "Um... uh... What was your name again...?"

"Remember, dear?" asked Mitsuko. "This is Roy-chan." She looked at me. "I'm sorry, he's terribly forgetful lately."

"No worries."

"...Where did he run off to, dear? He should be here helping customers..."

Eyebrow. "Who's 'he'?"

"Our spoiled son. He hasn't been back in a while." said Bunkichi. "Where did he go, dear?"

Mitsuko's expression fell. "Must you, dear...?"

...Don't tell me... "Did something happen...?"

Bunkichi's smile faded. "Oh... that's right... our son passed away... My apologies, Roy-chan. I hope I'm not making you feel uncomfortable."

I smiled back weakly. "I'm fine, Bunkichi-san."

**CRASH**

What.

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Heirophant Arcana..._

...Not cool, spooky voices. Not. Cool.

"H-Hey, hey, why the gloomy faces? It's still bright outside, let's not make it dark in here." Bunkichi said, then he looked at me. "Please come again. We'll be waiting for you, Roy-chan."

I smiled back. "Alright. I'll swing by again soon!"

I waved at the two of them as I left the store with pockets full of bread, then heard my stomach rumble. I looked over at the takoyaki stand a short ways away.

...Eh, why not? I got the munchies somethin' fierce today.

* * *

><p>Got myself a few orders of takoyaki and a couple cans of pop from a vending machine, then wandered over to the shrine with it all. I sat down on a bench, contently snacking away when I noticed a little kid staring at me from the top of the slide. I waved at her, then went back to snacking. A minute or so later, and I heard someone sit down on the bench. I looked over and it was that little girl. She was looking at the takoyaki intently. I looked down at one of my extra orders of the stuff, then back at her. I smiled, then held it out to her.<p>

"Want some?" I asked.

She looked at me with wide eyes. "Is it okay...?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I got some bread in my pocket anyways." I glanced down at my unopened can of soda. "You can have that can of pop, too."

Her little eyes lit up like you'd just given her a pony or something. "Yay! Thank you mister!"

I chuckled as he little kid started snacking away, happily humming some tune she'd heard somewhere. Didn't seem familiar to me.

"I'm Maiko." she said suddenly. "What's your name, mister?"

I looked at her. "I'm Roy."

"Can we be friends?" she asked.

I laughed. "If you want to, then sure."

"Yay! Do you wanna play for a while Roy-san?"

I grinned. "Sure, Maiko-chan."

* * *

><p>So yeah, I hung out with an elementary school kid and played on a jungle gym for an hour or two.<p>

"It's getting dark..." she said as we sat on the top of the jungle gym. She looked down. "But I don't wanna go home... I don't like it there..." Maiko turned back to face me. "Can we play for a little longer?"

"Sorry Maiko-chan, but I have to go soon. I've got exams next week so I need to study." I apologized. "But if you wanna play again sometime, I'll come by so we can hang out. Okay?"

She smiled a little. "Thank you Roy-san!" Her smile vanished just as quickly as it appeared, though. "But... I really don't like going home... my mom and dad fight a lot... I told them I want us to be happy, but they don't listen to me..." She sniffled. "They probably hate me..."

"Not a chance." I told her. "They're your parents. If they didn't love you, then they wouldn't worry about you when you get hurt."

Maiko looked up at me again. "...Really?"

I nodded. "Really."

She sniffled again, but she managed to smile. "Okay... thank you Roy-san."

**CRASH**

Huh?

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana..._

...Not cool either, spooky voices.

"Bye Roy-san!" Maiko said as she climbed down the jungle gym and waved. "Let's play again soon!"

I waved back. "Alright! Later days, Maiko-chan!"

...Welp, back to the dorm with me.

"You're a sap, you know that?"

"I know Pharos." I sighed, looking over at him. "And you've been pretty quiet today. What gives?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, really. Just haven't had much to say."

"Been mulling over your own situation and stuff?"

"Yeah... I still don't remember much." he said. "I'm getting back bits and pieces, but nothing really... solid, I guess."

I winced. "That sucks. But hey, I'm sure you'll remember somethin' sooner or later."

"Haha... yeah, I hope so."

"Hey, Roy-kun!"

My head snapped in the direction of the voice, and Hamuko was standing at the top of the stairs to the shrine and looking right at me.

"Who're you talking to?" She asked.

"Pharos." I told her, patting him on the shoulder. I was actually surprised my hand didn't phase through him or something. "He's kind of like a ghost, except cooler."

Hamuko looked at me oddly. "So you've got a ghost following you around?"

"Yeah, but like I said he's cool so it's no big deal." I said dismissively as I hopped down from the jungle gym. "On a different note, you like melon bread? I got some from-"

Hamuko was up in my face in about a quarter of a second, her eyes sparkling. "You have Melon Bread?"

I blinked. "Yeah..." I held up one of the miniature loafs I was give. "Want one?"

She snatched it out of my hand, tore open the package, then took a huge bite out of it.

"You're welcome..." I laughed, opening one for myself and taking a bite. "So what brings you here?"

"I came to pray for good grades." Hamuko said simply. "It may seem kinda weird, but it really does help!"

"Everyone has their own way to prepare for things." I replied. "I'll wait here while you make your prayer, then we can head back and study some more."

"Okay!"

* * *

><p>"So what's his story?"<p>

I looked at Hamuko. "What's who's story?"

"Your ghost friend's." she said. "What's his story?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, and neither does he. He just kinda turned up during the Dark Hour my first night here and made me sign a contract. Apparently it's part of why I can do the whole Persona switchy thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It said I had to take responsibility for my actions, so that kinda included being the one to keep you guys outta trouble when we were at Tartarus. Otherwise the contract might've broken and then who knows what the hell would've happened."

Hamuko winced. "That doesn't sound good, Roy-kun."

I nodded. "Yeah, seriously. But anyways, there's really not to much to Pharos. He just sorta follows me around because he's apparently connected to me or something. Doesn't bug me."

"What does he do most of the time?"

"Make snarky comments about things or point out stuff I don't notice. He hangs around in the lobby when we're in Tartarus, though. No idea what'll happen if he gets in range of Shadows being able to attack him, so he doesn't risk it."

"It'd probably hurt, that's why I don't risk it." Pharos said.

"He also said it'd probably hurt too."

Hamuko giggled. "Sounds reasonable."

"What about you, though?" I asked. "What'd your parents think of you getting to join SEES?"

She winced. "...They work a lot, so I don't get to see them often. They send money for food and so I had a place to stay... but they were happy because of the story Mitsuru-senpai told them."

Eyebrow. "What'd she tell them?"

"She said SEES was a college prep club for the best, and sometimes troubled, students."

Pffffffft "The troubled part probably applies to Junpei."

Hamuko giggled again. "Yeah, probably." She looked up at the darkening skyline. "Still... SEES is amazing and I haven't even known you all for very long..."

"All things considered, I think you're taking this all better then Junpei did."

"Well, ever since I was a little kid I had a feeling there was more to life then the mundane." She said. "And you never really know what'll happen next in life anyways, so why waste time freaking out when something new happens? You gotta go with the flow and have fun!"

I laughed. "Haha, damn straight!"

**CRASH**

Wait what another one?

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana..._

Huh. Interesting...

"C'mon Roy-kun, we better hurry back or Mitsuru-senpai might get mad!"

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming!"

* * *

><p>The remainder of the week wasn't anything special, but I did spend time with Maiko again on Friday before exams happened. I'm not even gonna bother going over exams because FUCK EXAMS. Friday morning though, Akihiko said he'd be okay to head back into battle and that apparently I get to stay in charge because he wants to focus on punching everything. I was fine with that, but he wanted to talk to everyone back at the dorm after school.<p>

"Senpai, I hear you're fully healed now!" Yukari said as she sat down at the table in the dorm with the rest of us.

Junpei was grinning from ear to ear. "Congrats, man!"

"Thanks, but I need to catch up on my training." he replied. "I've slacked off for a whole month."

"Okay, but you should take it easy Senpai." said Hamuko.

"Yeah, you don't wanna reinjure your arm, do you?"

He shook his head at Hamuko and Yukari's concern. "I've already wasted enough time as it is. Besides, we found another Persona-user."

"We did? Sweet!" Junpei exclaimed. "Is it another girl?"

"Actually, it is." replied Akihiko. "She's a junior at our school. Fuuka Yamagishi... do you guys know her?"

"Yamagishi...? Oh, that girl in 2-E. I heard she gets sick a lot and I don't see her at school very often..."

"I've seen her a few times, Yukari-chan." said Hamuko. "She's really nice, but kinda shy. I didn't know she got sick a lot though..."

"She was at the same hospital as me, which is how I found our about her." He said. "But if she gets sick as much as you say, maybe she's not cut out for battle. I had an Evoker made for her too..."

"Senpai, there's more to Personas then just fighting." I pointed out. "I mean, Mitsuru-senpai's can scan enemies. Maybe hers is like that too?"

"Hrm... That is a possibility..." Akihiko admitted, holding his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I guess we should try to keep an eye on her then."

"Yeah, we shouldn't give up on her!" piped up Junpei. "I could offer her private lessons, too!"

Yukari, Hamuko, and me all looked at him.

"What?"

"Dude, Junpei, you're a bro and all but that just sounded creepy." I said.

"Yeah, you sound like an old perv." added Hamuko, eliciting a giggle from Yukari.

"I think the same thing myself sometimes..."

"Oh c'mon guys, I'm a guy! It's only natural..."

"Yeah, but there's ways to say it without sounding like a stalker."

"Ah, shaddup..."

* * *

><p>Author Notes - Yeah, short chapter but I wanted SOMETHING done for March 5th. And sorry for any spelling mistakes, I just wanted to make sure this was posted before March 5th was over so it's still getting beta'd. I'll have a beta'd version up later.<p> 


	6. Betting Blind

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Overlord Duelist** - I do have plans for Chidori, yes. Can't spoil the surprise though, so you'll just hafta wait on it. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

**KazuSakai** - Well you at least got the foreshadowing with the Reaper right. There is something up with a level 10 or so Roy and Shade punching the Reaper into a wall. I left a hint in the story, but you'll have to find out where it is.

**Kevin C** - God no, I wasn't channeling Gurren Lagann for the end of AFNF. That is just how my demented mind works on a daily basis. And I have plans for Ryoji, but you'll probably be disappointed by them because of reasons you'll see once everyone's favorite scarf-clad harbinger of the apocalypse turns up.

ALSO A BONUS ALERT: There's a TV Tropes page for AFNF! Link on my profile, add to it if you feel like it(And I'm going to put this alert in like the next few pre-chapter review answer things so get used to seeing it). And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"So Roy-kun, did you see Junpei this morning?"<p>

I shook my head at Yukari's question. "Nah, I was surprised he left before we did for once. What was up with him?"

"He looked like the world was about to end because exam scores are posted today." She said. "He even told me he was gonna pray for good scores, but..."

I laughed. "Sounds like the Junpei thing to do. I don't think he did as bad as he thinks he did, though. I mean, between you, me, and Hamuko-san we probably got about, eh, I'd wager thirty percent more information to stay in his brain then he's ever managed when studying alone?"

"I'd say twenty-five personally."

I shrugged. "Well I was being generous, but whatever."

"By the way, do you remember what everyone was talking about on Friday?"

"About that Yamagishi girl?" I asked, looking over at Yukari. "What about her?"

Yukari shifted in her seat on the monorail. "Well, I hear she's kinda weak, but that's just rumors. I'd like to meet her myself, and I don't think having another Persona-user around would be a bad thing."

"Yeah, probably not. Maybe you should see if you can try and talk to her sometime today?"

"Hmm... Good idea, Roy-kun."

* * *

><p>Test scores were there and I'm surprised I made the top ten. Off to Student Council after class, and why is there a teacher here?<p>

"Alright, Hidetoshi, I'm counting on you. For both our sakes."

Hidetoshi nodded as the teacher, who I finally recognized as Mr. Ekoda, walked out of the room.

"H-Hello Roy-senpai."

"Hi Chihiro-san." I replied, then I looked at the other members. "What was Ekoda-sensei doing here?"

"And what did he mean by 'for both our sakes'?" asked a different student. "What's he talking about?"

"He just wants to create a better school environment, so he offered to help us." Hidetoshi said simply. "Just like how the President asked Roy-kun to join Student Council."

"What?" sputtered the other guy. "You can't decide something like that without the President's permission!"

"I see little problem with this, but why exactly was he offering to help?"

"S-Someone found a cigarette butt in the boys' bathroom..." said Chihiro. "A-And Ekoda-sensei wants us to look for the one who did it..."

Hidetoshi nodded. "Yes. Someone broke the rules and thus we should find out who. It's our responsibility, right?"

"I suppose, but-"

"So what, you're gonna spy on the boys' bathroom now?" snapped the other guy. "Man, you treat everyone like a suspect!"

"Don't exaggerate." scoffed Hidetoshi. "I'm a member of the Disciplinary Committee, no the police. And look at it this way, you have two choices. Either help out and prove you're trustworthy, or refuse and raise suspicion."

"That's a pretty limited way of thinking..." Pharos commented.

Yeah, really. "So, what? Either someone's helpful or they're a suspect? Hardly seems fair, especially if the actual guy who did it is one of the 'helpful' people. Hard to catch him if he's leading you in circles."

"That's a good point..." he noted, nodding slowly. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind durring my investigation. Thank you, Roy-kun."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Emperor Arcana..._

...Pharos, these Social Link things have weird as hell triggers.

"Not surprised."

"H-Hey, don't ignore me!" Shouted that other guy as Hidetoshi just walked out of the room. He grumbled to himself, then turned away to mess with something or other.

"It's not good for Student Council members to be fighting like this..." said Chihiro. "I-I better go tell the President...!"

"Check near the bulletin board for the test scores, I saw her hanging around them at lunch." I told her.

"Ah... T-Thank you, Roy-senpai!" she replied before scurrying off.

"What now?"

I dunno. Guess I'll just get going if nobody needs me for anything...

* * *

><p>I had a surprise waiting for me at Martial Arts Club the next day.<p>

"I'm serious Sensei, I wear this for a very good reason."

"You've said that repeatedly and every single time you insist on it I wonder how serious you are about it."

I sighed. "Very serious. It's better I not take this off."

He folded his arms. "You're not even hurt, I've seen you get hit there and not even react so what exactly are you hiding?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was a tattoo?"

Coach Yamato's eyebrow rose curiously. "You have a tattoo?"

"And I'm not a punk or delinquent hence why I wear this to hide it at school."

"You wear those sarashi even at the dorm."

He doesn't need to know that Pharos.

"Still not a valid excuse-"

"You've SEEN my file, right?"

He paused. "...Yes."

"So then you probably saw that one little detail about me. And the three dudes."

Yamato nodded.

"That's why I wear this, okay? So I don't do what I did to them to people who don't deserve it."

"So then you're holding back?"

Crap. "No, I just-"

"Take that off your arm and get in there with Kaz. I wanna see what you can really do."

"But-"

"Coach, what's the problem?"

Damn it Kaz-

"Roy here's been holding back because of the sarashi on his arm."

"DUDE! Take those off, I wanna see what you've been hiding!"

Sigh. I'm going to hate myself for this.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes and a trip to the Nurse's Office later and Kaz was likely, in some part of his mind, hating me for this too. He also likely knew regrets, but that's not as important. I kinda sorta kicked him in the leg. Really hard. And he fell over in what looked like a lot of pain. I wouldn't have been worried if it hadn't taken him more then three minutes to even attempted getting up, and when he did he fell back over. I will be amazed if I don't get kicked off the team.<p>

"Asthma, huh...?" repeated one of the Varsity members of the team who helped another guy and me get Kaz to the Nurse's Office after hearing Kaz explain what was wrong.

"C'mon..." griped the other guy. "We're counting on you to be captain next year..."

"And there's the big meet then as well." Varsity guy said. "Don't push yourself. And Roy, can you take him home?"

"No prob." I replied as the two guys left, then I looked right at Kaz.

He squirmed slightly. "Wh-What? I'm fine dude. I-It's just my asthma-"

"I hit you in the leg. Hard. And asthma doesn't affect peoples legs, Kaz."

Kaz bit his lip slightly. "...You know how I said I thought I twisted my knee a while back...? Well... it hasn't felt right since the first day you came to practice. It hurts no matter what I do..."

Oh hell... "Dude, you should probably get that checked out."

"I can't do that, and you can't make me." he said to me. "You heard the guys, there's a national competition next year. The regional doesn't compare to going up against guys from all over Japan and I have to win that meet!"

"And what happens if this is a serious issue that, if not fixed, makes it so you can't use your leg at all?"

Kaz flinched.

"You gotta use your head about these things, man." I said. "To achieve the victory you seek, you must have discipline to know when to stop and rest rather then press on, else you may fail to achieve anything."

"Eheeheehee... The Chariot, correct?"

Oh right, the nurse is still here. "That it was."

"Interesting choice." He commented. "The Arcana are the means by which all is revealed... but what does fate have in store for you...? Eheeheehee..."

The Nurse then wandered off behind a curtain for some reason. Weird guy...

"So what're you saying, Roy?"

Right, Kaz. "I'm saying you should get this looked at. Soon. Because see, the sooner you get it fixed, the sooner you get better, and the sooner you can get back to training. Make sense?"

He stared at me for a second, then started nodding.

"Yeah..." he said. "Yeah it does. The meet isn't till August... If I get it looked at like, later this week then I might be able to get better in time for the meet without missing too much practice!"

I smiled at patted him on the shoulder. "That's the right idea, man. And hey, if you can't get better in time I'll just have to step up my game at the meet!"

"Damn right you will!" Kaz laughed. "You go toe to toe with me Roy, so it's probably expected of this by now!"

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessings when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Chariot Arcana._

Cool. "So you need help getting home?"

"Nah, I'll be fine as long as I take it easy. See ya tomorrow, Roy!"

* * *

><p>The grand remainder of my week I'd honestly like to mostly glance over, mainly because in start contrast to the rapidly spirally cluster bombing of supernatural weirdness my life looks like it's becoming at this point, it was the most boring five days ever. I had some conversations with Kaz(mostly about his knee), Chihiro, and Maiko during that time, but I don't feel much like mentioning it beyond what I have just now. The interesting things begin on the following Monday when the lot of our merry band of misfit teenage monster hunters was gathered at the table near the kitchen to discuss a certain story going around Gekkoukan.<p>

"Yuka-tan, you've seen the posts on the student message board right?" Junpei asked. "Y'know, the ones about how that girl was found by the front gate? Well, there's this rumor that it was an angry spirit from this one ghost story."

"Y-Yeah, I know the posts... b-but c'mon, nobody believes that stuff!" As Yukari finished that sentence, she immediately started looking at everyone else present for support. "R-Right...?"

Hamuko had one arm crossed over her chest and the other hand on her chin. "I dunno, it might be kinda cool to hear about. I like spooky stories."

"I'd also like to know what this ghost story is about." added Mitsuru.

"Wha-! I-It's probably made up, so why bother?"

"I think Yukari's afraid of ghosts."

What was your first clue Pharos?

"I'm interested." said Akihiko. "Go ahead and tell us."

On cue, Junpei held out his hand to me. I promptly supplied the previously agreed upon flashlight for this discussion, then went over and turned off the lights.

"Good evening..." he began, holding the active flashlight under his chin and using an appropriate ghost story voice. "Welcome to 'Junpei's Believe It, or Don't.' ...There are many strange things in this world... and according to one story, if you're caught at school late at night, you'll be devoured by a maniacal ghost that roams the halls! The other day, this friend of mine... let's call him Shu..." It's that Kenji guy he hangs out with sometimes. "He said to me, 'Junpei, I saw something strange.' He sounded serious, so I asked him what he saw. He said it was about that girl in 2-E... Said he saw her go into the school the night of the incident."

"Legitimate question!" I interrupted. "Why was he there to see this?"

"Because of reasons." Junpei replied, still using the spooky voice. "But I couldn't believe it. She's not the kind of girl to be late at night..."

"How do you know?" asked Hamuko.

"Also because of reasons." He continued, again still not breaking character. "But Shu was white as a sheet and insisted it was true... then, it hit me... That ghost must've tried to make her its dinner, and that's why they found her lying on the ground by the gate! I felt a chill run down my spine, and I broke into a cold sweat..." Lying bastard, you laughed your ass off. "Yes, there are many strange things in this world... Believe it... or don't..."

He turned off the flashlight, so I turned the lights back on and returned to sit down at the table next to Hamuko.

"What do you think, Akihiko?" asked Mitsuru.

"I think it's worth investigating."

Junpei was chuckling a little. "Wow, I didn't know you were afraid of ghosts, Yuka-tan. That's kinda funny."

"Hey, watch it!"

"It is kinda funny though, Yukari-chan..." said Hamuko with a giggle.

"F-Fine then, let's investigate the story!" huffed Yukari angrily. "We'll each ask around for the rest of the week. I'll prove to you that this ghost story is just an urban legend!"

"I appreciate that." Mitsuru said with a teasing tone. "The story is a bit unnerving."

"I'll let you guys handle it then." added Akihiko with a similar tone. "Just make sure you sleep with one eye open..."

"If you can even sleep at all." I chimed in with a grin.

* * *

><p>After the story was over and Yukari was busying herself looking into things, I went up to my room and plopped on my bed while Pharos took up a seat on my chair.<p>

"So." I began. "What do you think about the ghost story?"

"It's interesting." he said. "But it can't possibly be true. Not when you stop to think about what happens to your school late at night."

I smirked. "So you thought of that too?"

Pharos nodded. "It makes sense to me, really."

"I agree. They went to the school late at night and were in direct proximity to what could possibly the direct source of the Dark Hour. So when midnight hit, BAM. Shadows have a snack just waiting for them."

"Speaking of which, do you know what day it will be a week from now?"

"Full moon?"

He nodded again.

"Hrm. So far all the big ones I've seen have turned up on those. The one back in April and the one last month."

"It might be connected." He noted. "You should be careful in case another one appears."

"Good call. See ya in the morning, Pharos."

* * *

><p>"Mornin'. Ya know what? From this day forward, I'm gonna do my best!"<p>

"You know you're probably right about the ghost story so I'm standing here on the train next to you wondering why you're making a big deal of it."

"Because 'probably' isn't good enough. Proof is what's important, and you better find out as much as you can too! You only have until Friday, Roy-kun."

"Yeah yeah..."

* * *

><p>"Roy, you looking into that ghost story at all?"<p>

"Fuck no. It's bullshit and Shadows are involved. I'm holding a bet with myself over how long it'll take Yukari to realize that."

"No 'san'? I didn't know you were that smooth, Roy-kun."

"Hamuko, it's early in the morning and I'm still in lazy mode, so sue me. Besides, we have better things to do. Right Junpei?"

"Damn straight!"

* * *

><p>"Mornin'... ugh, this sucks... I spent so much time thinking about Ghost stories that now I'm having nightmares..."<p>

"Told you not to make a big deal out of it, but did you listen? NOPE."

"Oh, shut up. Besides, there's so many stupid rumors going around that it's tough to put them all together. I did get some useful information though, but I'm gonna look into it more today."

"Alright, just tell me you'll stop before you start looking into Tomes of Eldritch Lore."

"...I make no promises."

"Fair enough. Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

><p>"Hey, remember what we talking about on Monday?"<p>

"Oh goody, it's that time of the week already? I'll be sure to bring popcorn."

"This is serious, Roy-kun."

"Oh c'mon, at least lemme have a little fun after all the trouble I went through."

"Fine, but no ditching! I heard some interesting stories, so make sure you're there."

"Roy, you've done nothing all week besides go to Tartarus, get those card things from Elizabeth, and talk to Chihiro, Maiko, Hidetoshi, Kaz, and that elderly couple at Bookworms."

Yeah, but Yukari doesn't need to know that Pharos.

* * *

><p>"Okay, as we agreed on Monday, we'll now hold a meeting to discuss what we learned!"<p>

And that's my cue as I sit here lazily on the sofa this fine Friday night at the dorm. "Wrong, this is where I tell you all your effort was for naught because the three victims all got their brains eaten by Shadows because they wandered too close to Tartarus around midnight, thus making them easy snacks for the local monsters."

Yukari stared at me slack jawed for a second before switching to a glare. "And you didn't bring this up sooner, why?"

"Because it's kind of painfully obvious?" I retorted. "I mean, they're going near our school late at night. What happens to our school late at night? It turns into a den of brain-eating demons. It seemed like a logical train of thought for me. But, given how much effort you spent looking into all of this, you probably found out something else that links the victims together beyond them going to our school, correct?"

She huffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah. The three of them hung out together pretty often and got in with a bad crowd, so they were always out late. I can't pass it off as a coincidence, so I wanna go find out a little more information about them. To do that, we need to do some field research."

"Field research?" asked Junpei. "Are you kidding?"

Yukari shook her head. "Nope, not kidding. There's this one place the three of them were regulars at, so I think we should check it out."

Hamuko seemed curious. "What place would that be?"

"It's not that place behind Port Island Station, is it?" Junpei asked.

"Oh, you're familiar with it?"

"Dude, Yuka-tan, are you nuts? You can't go there! Do you even know about any of the rumors about that place? They're pretty bad..."

"Is that so? Well, then let's all go together." She looked at me. "You'll come, right?"

"Depends. Hamuko-san, you going?"

The brunette in question nodded. "Yeah. It'd be a lot safer then letting Yukari-chan go alone."

I shrugged. "Alright, then I'm in. What about you, Junpei?"

"Dude, don't you all think we're getting in over our heads?"

"Junpei, we fight monsters that throw around fireballs and lightning bolts." I deadpanned. "How much of a threat are street punks who might be drunk off their ass and or stoned out of their tiny minds going to be that big of an issue?"

He raised a hand and inhaled, as if to make a counter argument, but sighed and dropped his arm. "Alright, you win. I'll go."

"Okay, then we'll go tomorrow night." said Yukari. "And don't forget about it."

"I don't think you'll let us, Yuka-tan..."

* * *

><p>The next day of school rolled by, and I spent most of it not concerned with this rather odd bit of stupid that seems to have gripped Yukari's mind but rather about the cards Pharos mentioned. I got them from Elizabeth for doing one of her requests, and they're apparently like those cards I get from the weird spiny shuffle thing except I can, for the most part, fit damn near anything in them instead of just money or weapons. They're handy to have, and I've taken to calling them collectively the Storage Deck because it sounds like it'd be a good name for an inventory system in a video game. Plus then I can call them SD cards for short and that amuses me.<p>

Ah, but getting past the boring stuff, there's the walk to that one place to talk about!

"Yuka-tan, I'm telling you this is still a bad idea! How can you be scared of ghosts and not this?"

"It's easy to be freaked out by something you can't see, Junpei."

"Yeah, but I'm sure he's more concerned about bats and knives." I commented dryly. "Because, y'know, those are real and can hurt a lot."

"Yukari-chan, I have to agree with Roy-kun and Junpei-kun..." said Hamuko. "I only came along because I didn't want you to go alone."

Yukari scoffed. "Big deal, so it's a little 'dangerous'. We'll be fine..."

"No, Yukari Takeba, we will NOT be fine."

The three of them stopped and looked at me.

"You do not walk into a bunch of street thugs with your guard down like that." I said, my usual carefree tone gone. "If you don't act like we're in serious danger, which we likely could be, then one or more of us could get seriously hurt. This is not a laughing matter in the slightest. This isn't Tartarus and we don't have our Personae to come out and save our sorry asses if we get in trouble. Keep that in mind, alright?"

Yukari stared at me, nodding slowly.

"Alright then, let's keep going then!" I said with a grin before taking a bite of the Twix bar I got at a convenience store and continuing towards the back alley. "No sense waitin' here."

"What was that all about?"

Tell you later, Pharos. Looks like we're here.

"...The hell?"

"Check out those rags... They're from Gekko High. Standards musta gone to hell if they let that gaijin in..."

Yep, we're here.

"Oh man, this is worse then I thought..."

"Junpei-kun, just stay calm." Thank you, Hamuko.

That said, the four of us plus Pharos stopped not too far away from the group of punks that spotted us.

"Hey, you, I think you're in the wrong place." said one of the punks.

"Uh... Well, I..."

The guy got up and walked over to Junpei. "You don't belong here, get it? Beat it, Goatee."

"G-Goatee? Oh, y-you mean me..."

"We don't need your permission to be here." What did I JUST tell you not THREE minutes ago?

Junpei, however, appeared to have actually listened. "H-Hey, are you nuts? Look around you!"

"I'm not blind, ya know. Come on, don't be intimidated by these scum!" OH GOD DAMN IT YUKARI.

"What was that?"

"She just called us 'scum'!" chimed in one of a pair of thuggish girls sitting on nearby barrels.

"Let's get 'em." said the other. "Who cares where they're from?"

"We'll post some pictures that will make her daddy cry! She'll wish she was never b-"

"To get to her, you gotta go through me." I said, cracking my knuckles. "If you think you're tough enough, that is."

The two thug girls started laughing.

"Haha, the gaijin thinks he's tough!" one laughed. "He probably watches a bunch of kung-fu movies and thinks he can fight!"

"Tch, so you think you're all that, huh gaijin?" asked the taller of the two thug guys. And by 'taller', I mean he probably came up closer to my nose instead of just my shoulders. "I'll teach you some respect. You ready ta get educated?"

I rolled my eyes, none of my actions betraying how much my blood was boiling.

"Hey, answer me when I talk to you!" He snapped, swinging his fist at me.

Unfortunately for him, I left my sarashi at the dorm.

His clumsy punch was easily blocked, while my retaliation straight to his jaw was not. He hit the ground like a sack of bricks. His buddy said something, but I only caught 'gaijin' before I blocked his punch and follow up, then kneed him in the chest, slugged him across the face, and kicked him in the head so he joined his first friend in a heap on the ground.

The first guy was getting back up and rubbing his jaw once I turned back around. "That's it gaijin, you're de-"

"That's enough."

Oh what is it now-Oh SHIT it's that guy from the hospital!

"They didn't know what they were getting into." He continued. "I'll make sure they leave, alright?"

The punk apparently wasn't gonna have any of that, though. "Who do you think you are, dumbass? You want some too?"

The guy with Castor sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"That's it, you're goin' down!"

The punk charged Castor guy, only to get headbutted so hard he actually flew off the ground for a good few feet and landed about a foot away from me. And Castor guy hadn't hardly moved.

"Badass alert."

Noted, Pharos.

"Damn you, Shinjiro...!" said that guy I smacked down as he staggered to his feet and backed away from me. "That's right... you're from Gekko High too, aren't ya? I thought you were one of us..."

Shinjiro cocked his head slightly at the guy. "What gave you that idea? I don't remember swearing a blood oath."

The thug who got his face smashed by Shinjiro stood back up. "You son of a bitch! You crossed the line! You think you're going home alive?"

"Sure do." Shinjiro said with a tone that suggested he was completely sure of himself. "Wanna give it a try?"

"Uh... S-Screw this...!"

"You better grow eyes in the back of your head!"

Cue the two punks and a third friend of theirs scurrying off with their tails between their legs. The two thug chicks laughed and followed after them.

"Oh man, Senpai, that was awesome!"

"You idiots!" Shinjiro barked, turning towards the four of us. "Get outta here. This place isn't for you."

Eyebrow. "Then why the hell are you here?"

Shinjiro glared at me. "I have my reasons. Now leave."

He started to walk away, but Yukari walked past me.

"Wait!" she said. "We came here for a reason!"

Shinjiro stopped, then looked back at us. "Wait... You guys were at the hospital..." He focused on Hamuko specifically. "...You're new, though."

Hamuko let out a small 'eep' and her posture stiffened. "Th-That's right..."

Shinjiro walked back over to us and sat down on a small staircase. "Did Aki tell you to come here?"

"Why would he if he knew you'd be here?" I asked. "He said he was trying to talk to you."

"Hmph. Probably right." He commented absently. "So what do you want to know? Something about that ghost story?"

"Um, yeah..." Yukari replied. "How'd you know?"

"It's a rumor." He said. "Those girls who wound up in the hospital were talkin' shit every night about all the things they'd done to some girl named Fuuka."

"Fuuka? You mean Fuuka Yamagishi, from 2-E?" asked Junpei. "They were picking on her?"

He nodded once. "That's why people are saying it's Fuuka's spirit that did it. I hear it's all over the net, too."

"Fuuka's spirit...?" asked Yukari nervously. "W-What do you mean by that?"

"Yukari-chan... he's saying she might be dead..." said Hamuko.

"Your friend got it in one." stated Shinjiro. "She hasn't been home in over a week. Don't you guys go to school? How do you not know this?"

"Good question." I admitted, my hand on my chin. Why am I not freezing up around this guy now, though? Last time I couldn't breathe and he's still just as powerful as he was then... "Looks like we have some questions to ask on Monday."

"Yeah..." Agreed Yukari. "Ekoda-sensei is the homeroom teacher for 2-E, so maybe we should ask him..."

Shinjiro stood up.

"I get it, Aki... Still trying to make up for the past." he said quietly. "It's you who can't let go..."

What's he on about?

"That's all I know." he told us. "Satisfied?"

"Y-Yeah! Thanks, Senpai!" said Junpei quickly with a bow. "C'mon, show some appreciation."

The rest of us bowed as well.

"Thanks, you totally helped us out!" said Yukari.

"A-And you're very kind..." added Hamuko with an awkward tone.

"She's blushing."

...What?

"Hamuko's blushing. And she's been staring at that Shinjiro guy the whole time you've been talking."

...Well that's something.

"Huh?"

Hamuko panicked slightly. "O-Oh, um, n-nothing! Th-Thank you, Senpai."

He gave her an intense look for a second, then grunted. "Tch... Don't come here again."

I watched him as he left.

...Pharos.

"Yeah?"

We got somewhere we have to be tomorrow.

* * *

><p>My luck held out the next morning when Pharos and I showed up at the back alley again and Shinjiro was there, alone.<p>

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Roy?" Pharos asked. "He might not be in as good a mood as he was last night."

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"If you say so. Just remember I can't exactly help you."

Duely noted, lil' buddy. "Hey."

Shinjiro looked over at me with a scowl as I approached. "What do you want?"

"To talk." I said. "Curiosity got the better of me when I thought about something Akihiko-san said."

He scoffed. "Oh yeah? What would that be?"

"That you had a falling out with SEES and he's been trying to get you to come back." I said. "I'm curious as to what could've caused that."

"So what, you here to drag me back yourself then?"

"No, I just wanna know why you left. No harm in that, is there?"

Shinjiro didn't look at me. "It doesn't concern you."

"Would I be here if I cared about that particular detail?" I asked, crossing my arms. "I'm here because, as I see it, you're just sitting on the sidelines like a bum rather then helping us when we could probably use your help."

"This coming from the guy who looked like he was dieing the first time I saw him."

"I can sense Castor, pal. It was more powerful then anything I'd ever seen before and apparently that caused me to lock up. I'm assuming that's only not the case now because I've gotten stronger since then, though my skin is still crawling."

He raised an eyebrow, but it disappeared into his beanie. "So Aki wasn't kidding when he said you were strange for a Persona-user."

"I'd ask if he brought us up last time he talked to you, but that would be getting off topic. Why'd you leave SEES?"

Shinjiro scowled. "I screwed up, that's why."

"Too generic an answer. Specifics would be better."

"I told you all there is to it, pal."

"My name is Roy Fortune, and your poker face sucks."

He glared at me. "How would you know?"

"Because I've played poker enough to know a thing or two about reading expressions and body language?"

"Tch. You really expect me to tell you anything?"

"I expect I'll be annoying enough for you to say something to get me to go away faster."

His scowl intensified. "Why is it so important you know why I left?"

"Because with understanding comes clarity." I said. "You know the forces that guide yourself, I'm just an outsider trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces. You can fill in the blanks, and that gets me out of your hair faster."

Shinjiro sighed. "Alright, I screwed up in the Dark Hour. My Persona went nuts when I summoned it. Shit happened. I'm not going back. Happy now?"

"Personas can go crazy?" I asked. "News to me."

"Not surprised. Aki and Kirijo probably don't wanna talk about it, and I'm sure the Chairman they're so keen on won't talk either." He said with a bitter tone. "It's better that way. You don't need to know what happened, just that I'm not going back."

"...It killed someone, didn't it? Your Persona."

Shinjiro's head snapped in my direction in an instant. "How'd you...?"

"Stab in the dark." I replied. "One you just confirmed. So your Persona killed someone. Did you mean to do it?"

"Hell no. I lost control and now there's an orphan out there because I killed his mother."

"And why is this eating at you? You didn't mean to do anything, you were trying to help."

He stood up abruptly. "Do you even realize that kid probably doesn't even know that his mom was murdered? That her killer is walking the streets while she's gone forever because he can't be punished?"

"Dude, criminals the world over get away with murder for years before they're finally caught." I countered sharply. "You didn't even mean to kill her, so why are you just wasting your life away instead of helping ensure that shit like that never happens ag-"

I was interrupted by a backhanded haymaker aimed at my jaw, sending me sprawling into the ground. I held my face as I got up onto one knee.

"Dude, what the fuck?"

"What do you even know about what I'm going through?" Shinjiro demanded. "Do you have someone's blood on your hands because there's a monster in your head, just waiting to break free?"

I got back up, still rubbing my jaw. "No, but do you know what it's like to be the victim of something happening in the Dark Hour?"

He froze. "What?"

"I was six." I told him. "My memory of the accident is kinda fuzzy, I just remember the world turning green before I woke up in a twisted wreck that used to be the car my dad was driving. He was already gone. My mom was bleeding out on the street because she managed to get out of the car. Last thing I remember before waking up in the hospital the next day was hugging my mom."

"So... then you..."

"Yeah. No parents." I said. "Part of why I was so quick to join SEES. I have a power that could potentially help end the Dark Hour. I'm not gonna sit on my ass and do nothing while other people fight to save lives when I can be out there helping them. And really, wouldn't you rather stop something like that from happening? Gotta be better then whatever you do to pass the time."

Shinjiro worked his jaw silently.

"Just think about what I said." I told him. "I'm not trying to change your mind, just give you another option to consider." I turned around and started walking away. "See ya, Senpai."

"Shinjiro Aragaki."

I looked back over my shoulder.

"I don't like formalities." He said. "My name is Shinjiro Aragaki."

I smirked slightly. "Alright then Shinjiro. Later days."

Once I was out of the back alley, Pharos decided to pipe up.

"You're lucky he was in a talkative mood."

"Yeah. And that Shade's resistance still works outside the Dark Hour. Dude might've dislocated my jaw otherwise..."

"Ouch. Wonder how bad he can wreck Shadows."

"Probably in a manner most excellent, but let's just get back to the dorm. I need an ice pack for my face..."

* * *

><p>The next day in the middle of all the boring school stuff, the four of us in 2-F strolled on down to the Faculty office at Lunch to have a chat with Ekoda. Unfortunately for Ekoda, Mitsuru was also here. Guess she figured this all out before we did.<p>

"Oh, Mitsuru-senpai. Why are you here?"

Mitsuru glanced at Yukari for a moment. "Same reason as you." Her attention returned to Ekoda and the tan girl sitting in the chair infront of him. "Mr. Ekoda, I'm here to ask you about a student named Fuuka Yamagishi..."

"No!" The girl wailed. "I-I never though it'd turn out like this... Fuuka..."

"Wait, you're that girl..."

Hamuko turned towards Yukari. "You know her?"

"What did you do to Yamagishi?" asked Mitsuru sharply.

"Hold on Mitsuru, this isn't an interrogation." said Ekoda. "Natsuki, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea."

Natsuki looked down. "Fuuka... she... she always looked so frazzled whenever I gave her a hard time... Then, I realized she's an honor student, but deep inside she's the same as us. I knew exactly which buttons to push. We were just messin' with her that day, too! May Twenty-Ninth... We took Fuuka to the gym... and locked the door from the outside..."

"What?" Junpei practically shouted. "You locked her in?"

She nodded. "Maki went back that night alone because she was scared we'd get in trouble if Fuuka got hurt or something, but she never came back... then the next morning..."

"She was found out by the gate, wasn't she?" asked Hamuko.

Natsuki nodded again. "I went back to the gym to let her out, but the door was still locked. When I went inside, she wasn't there and we all panicked. We kept going back every night to find her, but someone went missing each time... and they all ended up like Maki!"

"I see... By the way, Mr. Ekoda..." Mitsuru turned her gaze on him. "All this time, you've attributed Yamagishi's absences to 'illness', but in reality she was missing. You must have been aware of that... What was your intention?"

"I was thinking of the students, of course." he responded matter-of-factly. "You children may not understand, but-"

"May not understand what?" I asked. "That you were covering your own ass instead of reporting someone missing?"

"Watch your tone, young man!" He shot back. "You are just a student, and should-"

"Enough." snapped Mitsuru. "You may not like it Mr. Ekoda, but Fortune is correct. You ignored your responsibilities as a teacher to protect your own career. How despicable."

"I-I didn't...!" he stammered. "I was just...!"

Mitsuru held up her hand, which managed to shut him up as she turned towards Natsuki. "About your friends... Did you notice anything unusual before the incidents? Anything at all?"

Natsuki nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah... they said they heard a creepy voice right before each of them went missing. They said it was calling their name."

"Roy, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Yeah.

"Oh man..."

"Senpai, is it...?"

Mitsuru looked at us and nodded. "We'll discuss it later." She turned back to Natsuki. "Stay at our dorm tonight. It's the safest place. And if you hear the voice, tell us right away. Don't leave the room, no matter what. If you can do that much, you should be okay. Don't worry, Yamagishi should be alright as well." She looked at us again. "We'll meet up after school in the Student Council Room to discuss our plan of action for tonight."

Junpei and Hamuko gave her a confused look. "Tonight?"

"We're going to find Yamagishi. If my guess is right, she's still inside the school."

* * *

><p>One remainder of a school day later, and all of SEES plus Pharos was in the Student Council Room. Pharos, naturally, was sitting on a table because who the fuck could really stop him.<p>

"All set." reported Yukari after she locked the door. "So, what exactly is going on?"

"Simple really." I said from the chair I was sitting on backwards before Mitsuru could start talking. "Y'know how our school turns into Tartarus at night? And how Yamagishi is supposed to have the potential? Do the math on that."

"So, she's been trapped in Tartarus since the Twenty-ninth?" asked Hamuko. "But, that was over a week ago!"

"Wait, so does that mean...?"

Akihiko shook his head, cutting off Junpei's question. "Not necessarily. We can't jump to conclusions about this. Tartarus only appears during the Dark Hour. So, what about the rest of the day?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"This is only a theory, but I think time may function different with respect to Tartarus."

"I think I get what you're sayin' Senpai." I said. "Basically, one day here is only an hour in Tartarus?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's possible only ten hours have passed for her, which could mean she's still alive."

"You really think so, Senpai?" asked Junpei. "But the Dark Hour's pretty brutal. Most of us can barely handle an hour, how's she supposed to last ten?"

"And even if she is still alive, what if we can't get to her?"

"Well, Yukari-chan, what if we went into Tartarus the same way she did?"

Everyone turned towards Hamuko.

"I mean, if we just wait in the school for the Dark Hour to happen, wouldn't we end up in the same place she did?" she asked. "It would kinda make sense..."

"I was thinking the same thing." said Akihiko. "It's the fastest way, and might just be our best shot at finding her."

"Honestly, I have reservations. If something goes wrong, you could all end up lost in Tartarus as well..."

"I'm not just gonna do nothing while there's a chance we can save her." stated Akihiko. "I'd never forgive myself."

"Hey, count me in Senpai." I said. "Like you said, it's better then doing nothing."

"Alright. As long as we're aware of the risks, I won't stop you from attempting a rescue." said Mitsuru.

"Cool, we get to sneak into the school! Heheh... In that case, I know just what to do..."

"Why does Junpei have that grin on his face?"

Because he's awesome, that's why.

* * *

><p>"Set to go...? An explosive? Hmmhmm... Alright, I'll let you handle this."<p>

"We don't have time to waste. Let's go."

"Junpei-kun, where did you get a bomb?"

"Bomb nothing, I just unlocked a door."

"Junpei, you are a magnificent bastard. You know that?"

"Hey, I try man. I try."

* * *

><p>"Tray Ben...? What's that mean? It's not English, is it?"<p>

"Nah, that's Spanish."

"No, Roy-kun, it's French."

"What the fuck ever Hamuko-san, I don't speak the damn language either way!"

* * *

><p>"Yukari-san, the guard's gone. Can I have my arm back now?"<p>

"Y-Yeah... Sorry..."

"You can let go too, Hamuko-san."

"S-Sorry Roy-kun..."

"No worries."

* * *

><p>"So dude, did Yuka-tan really scream?"<p>

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"She forgot to turn off her cell and got spam."

"Ha! Wow, that's kinda-"

**DOOM**

* * *

><p>Let it never be said I ever want to be in the school when the Dark Hour hits. Holy shit, I have no idea what happened but I'd wager it was close to a bad drug trip...<p>

"Good, you're awake."

I sat up, rubbing my head. "Hey Pharos... Any sign of the others?"

He shook his head. "No, I think they ended up in different places. You should see them soon, though."

"Lovely..." I said, standing up. "Anything else I should know?"

"Yes, it would seem there is more then one ordeal you must face tonight."

I looked at him. "Wait what?"

"There's two this time."

Oh fuck. "Double time it little buddy, we gotta roll!"

No sooner had I rounded the corner then did I find that large gunslinger thing staring at me.

Oh double fuck. "Um..."

'How did you get here?'

JESUS FUCK IT CAN TALK? "Um, I... came in from outside the Dark Hour...?"

The Shadow just kept staring at me, then looked at Pharos. Not in his general direction, but right the fuck at him.

'Does he speak the truth?'

Pharos jumped slightly. "Y-Yes, he does."

Gunslinger looked back at me for a moment. '...Very well.'

And then it just melted into a wall without another word.

"Pharos... what just happened...?"

"I have no idea, Roy. But we need to keep moving."

"Right."

Didn't take much longer for a burst of static to come over the earpiece thing and distract me enough to crash into two people. And by 'crash into' I mean 'accidentally knock over'.

"Shit, are you-" I stopped when I saw who it was. Hamuko was with a girl I didn't recognize at all. "...Fuuka Yamagishi?"

The teal haired girl looked up at me. "Y-Yes... Wh-Who are you?"

"Roy Fortune." I replied, offering a hand to help her up. "I see you already met Hamuko-san."

"She found me, actually." said Hamuko as she stood up. "She said I was just lying on the ground and she checked on me."

"That true?"

Fuuka nodded. "Y-Yes... Where are we...?"

"We'll explain later, we just have to get out of this place." I said. "You found anyone else yet?"

Hamuko shook her head. "No, you're the first. Fuuka-chan's been leading me around, though."

Eyebrow. "How? Aren't there Shadows on the loose in here?"

"So there are strange creatures..." Fuuka murmured. "I've managed to avoid them so far... It's hard to describe, but... I can sort of tell where they are..."

"Well whaddya know, I guessed right. She's like Mitsuru-senpai." I commented. "Can you tell if there's any people in here?"

"I-I think so..." She replied, looking around uncertainly for a moment before pointing down a different hall. "O-Over that way! I think there's someone over there..."

"Good enough for me. Pharos, can you scope it out first?"

"Sure thing." He said, running off down the hallway.

Hamuko looked at me. "Your ghost buddy is here too? I thought he stayed in the lobby."

"G-Ghost?"

"He wanted to stick around this time. Let's just get moving. And don't worry Fuuka, he's friendly."

* * *

><p>A few minutes and a flight of stairs later, and we came across Akihiko and Junpei.<p>

"There you guys are!" said Junpei. "Is that Fuuka-san?"

"Yeah. And looks like she's got a scanny Persona like Senpai's."

Akihiko looked at me. "You sure?"

"She's been the one leading us to you guys. And has anyone been able to contact Mitsuru-senpai? I keep getting static."

The two of them shook their heads.

"No. We've been waiting here because Senpai figure'd we'd find you faster."

"Here, Yamagishi." Said Akihiko as he handed her an evoker. "Take this."

She didn't seem enthused by the idea. "But that's...!"

"Think of it as a good luck charm. It's not a real gun." He replied. Not sure if she bought it. "But we should get moving. We've waited here long enough."

"At least we've had a nice view the whole time." said Junpei, pointing over his shoulder at the first window I've ever seen in Tartarus. Nice view of the moon. "I've never seen a full moon that bright."

"Well, some research indicates that Shadows are affected by the phases of the moon." said Akihiko. "The same could even be said for humans."

"That explains why I can never sleep on full moons." I sighed. "Goddamn lunar cycle, screwing up my sleep schedule..." Wait... The Ordeal! "...Hang on, wasn't it a full moon during the Operation at the monorail?"

Junpei thought for a second, then nodded. "Yeah. I remember that because Yuka-tan said somethin' about it and you talked about the Dark Hour in the daytime."

"Hey, did you see the moon on the night the dorm was attacked back in April?" Akihiko asked me. "Was it full?"

"Yeah." I replied. "I couldn't sleep because of it, so that's why I came downstairs in time to see you bleeding on the welcome mat."

Akihiko muttered something, then put his hand on his earpiece. "Mitsuru, are you there?"

A burst of static came in response.

"Mitsuru? Mitsuru!"

Another burst, but I made out the words 'be careful'.

"What is this thing...?"

I turned to Fuuka. She had her hand on her head. "It's much bigger than the others... and it's attacking someone..."

"Damn it!" Akihiko swore. "We need to get to the lobby, fast!"

I looked around quickly. No sign of Pharos. Talk to me buddy, tell me you got something!

"Up ahead!" I heard him shout as he poked his head around a corner. "There's an access point!"

"Follow me, I got us a way down!" I said, darting towards Pharos. "Let's go!"

"How did you-"

"No time!" Akihiko snapped, then I heard him chasing after me. "It's another big one like last month!"

That seemed to be enough to get the others after us, while Pharos was running ahead of me. Cripes this is a long hallway.

"I'll go through first!" said Pharos, sprinting faster and diving into the access point. 'ROY, HAVE YOUR EVOKER OUT! THERE'S TROUBLE!'

Isn't there always! Evoker out, twirl on finger, then jump for it!

A flash of green blocked my vision for a split second as I pressed my Evoker against my head. "PERSONA!" **BANG**

Shade charged out of my head like a gunshot, swinging at the first thing he came across while I was still getting my bearings. Unfortunately, the thing he swung at swung back and knocked him aside, sending pain shooting through my head and forcing me to the ground as Shade vanished.

"Roy-kun!"

"I'm fine!" I grunted, finally getting the chance to look around as I heard the access point making noise from behind me.

Yukari's on the ground holding her evoker, Mitsuru's bike is busted up, there's two big shadows, one looking like a rolly polly fat chick with an ostrich head and neck while the other looks like some kind of retarded nutcracker with tiny legs... that's also holding Mitsuru in one of its massive hands! Shit.

"Mitsuru!" shouted Akihiko.

She gave a weak moan in reply.

"What's going on?" sputtered Yukari. "Nothing's working on these things!"

If the Shadows hadn't noticed us before, they had now. Then Natsuki walked into the lobby.

"What the hell? Why's she here?"

"F-Fuuka..." said Natsuki. Cripes, she looks and sounds like a zombie...!

"Moriyama-san!"

"Hey, no, get back over here!" I shouted.

"Fuuka-chan!" exclaimed Hamuko. "It's not safe!"

I think Fuuka said something to Natsuki, but I was too focused on the fat Empress shadow moving towards her. Fuuka seemed to notice it, and stood infront of Natsuki with the evoker she'd been given in her hand.

"That's not a weapon!" shouted Akihiko.

_{I know.}_

Wait what?

**BANG**

Next thing I know, a large woman with a huge crystal ball ballgown and bandages over her face appeared and the Empress Shadow was crashing into the one holding Mitsuru, causing it to drop her. Akihiko managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Mitsuru, are you alright?"

She nodded as Akihiko set her down. "Yes, I'm fine... Be careful, normal attacks won't work on these Shadows. And all of our instruments have been destroyed..."

"Alright, gimme a second then!" I said, digging through the pockets in my coat. Where did I... AH HA! "Got it!"

_{...I can see...}_

Wait huh?

"Where is that...?"

_{I... I can see these monster's weaknesses somehow...}_

I'm hearing that in my head. Like, right inside my brain. No stupid headset required. Getting this thing out of my ear then!

"Mitsuru, Roy and I were right about her power. Let her take your place."

Mitsuru nodded. "Alright. Yamagishi, can you assist the others?"

_{I'll do my best!}_

Adrenaline fueled craziness adaptation at its finest, I'd say. "Okay, let's have at these guys then! What works on what?"

_{Um... th-the fat one is weak to physical attacks a-and the tall one is weak to elemental skills! Darkness and Light won't work on either of them!_}

"Thank ya kindly!" I replied as my evoker was against my head again. "Pixie!" **BANG**

The tiny fairy appeared and used Media, a healing light surrounding everyone for a moment before it threw a lightning bolt at the tall one. Didn't hit it, though.

"Roy, why do you still have that thing?"

"It's awesome that's why, now focus!" I shouted, dodging a blast of fire from the Empress. "Pick your targets and start smashing! I can't do everything!"

"Right behind you, Roy-kun! Thalia!" **BANG**

Both Thalia and Shade burst forth, the two Personae hurling a powerful blast of Ice at the Emperor and knocking his stupid ass down this time. The two of us charged in, hitting the Shadow with everything we had before it started lashing out, at which point we backed off. Then it started glowing. Glowing is never good.

"What the hell!" Junpei shouted angrily as the fat one completely blocked Hermes' flying kick. "It's not working!"

_{Their weaknesses changed! The large one is immune to slashes and punches as well as fire and electricity, but weak to everything else. The tall one is the opposite!}_

"Roy, they're switching weaknesses between each other!"

Thanks for the tip, Pharos! "Okay, switch up! Junpei, Akihiko-san, you guys kill tall, dark, and stupid! Hamuko-san, we got a lard ball to murder!"

"Fortune, I got an idea! Have your Persona attack it once before you focus on the other one!"

"Alright Senpai, you got it!" I replied, summoning Shade as he summoned Polydeuces.

The two Personae rushed in like lightning, smashing their fists into the Emperor's stomach and sending it crashing into the wall of the lobby.

"Nice sho- Roy, the other one's aiming at Shade!"

Wait what?

Sure enough it was half a second from lobbing something at my Persona. Instinct took over and I swung my arm, trying to signal Shade to get the hell out of there. A burst of blue mist exploded around him, replacing him with a card as a shard of ice from the fat one sailed through where his head had been not a moment before, then another mist explosion happened and Tam Lin was there, throwing his spear straight into the Empress' gut.

"How the hell did I do that?" I asked aloud. "Actually, nevermind! Don't care! Keep attacking!"

Tam Lin vanished, and I put my evoker against my head again and re-summoned Shade to blast it with wind in tandem with Thalia's piercing knives. The attacks did some damage, sending fatty to the ground as we rushed in behind our Personae. We hacked away at it as much as possible before it smashed me in the face with its stupid wand thingie.

"Roy-kun!"

"I've had worse!" I don't think it's a good thing I can say that and mean it.

"Stupid Shadow... Die already!"

I got up in time to see Hamuko slash it across the chest with her naginata, but there was a burst of ice along where the wound would've been. The blade of the naginata was likewise covered in ice.

"BURN!"

My attention then shifted to Junpei as his sword burst into flame just as he hacked away at the Emperor's arm.

Both Shadows were howling in pain and backing away from them, while Hamuko and Junpei were staring at their elementized weapons.

"Dude, what did I just do?" asked Junpei.

"I don't know!" replied Hamuko. "But I did it too!"

"Figure it out later, the Shadows are glowing again!"

And indeed they were... except now they won't stop glowing. The fuck?

"Yamagishi, what's going on?"

_{They keep switching weaknesses! I can't tell anymore because they keep changing too fast!}_

"Oh come on, that's cheating!" Junpei griped. "Fight fair ya damn monsters!"

"Shouting ain't gonna do shit, Junpei!" I called out, putting my evoker against my head again. "Just throw everything we have at them! Something's gotta work if we just throw 'em around fast enough!"

"Go for it!" agreed Akihiko, his own evoker ready.

"Hermes!" "Thalia!" "Polydeuces!" "Shade!"

_**BANG**_

All four Personae appeared, each one pointing at a central spot between the two large Shadows. A glowing orb of white light appeared and started expanding, till finally it exploded into a spray of white-hot spikes that tore through the bodies of the Shadows. They screeched in agony as they were ripped apart, the pair of them dissolving into nothing as they hit the ground.

I just sort of stared at where the Shadows used to be before I sighed. "Why can we never do stuff that awesome on purpose the first time we ever do it?"

"Are there more of them...?"

I turned around to see Fuuka's Persona had vanished. Now I can see it in her head. Lucia of the Priestess Arcana. Interesting.

"Don't worry, it's over." said Akihiko, walking over to the two girls.

Natsuki mumbled something, prompting Fuuka to turn around.

"A-Are you alright?" she asked.

Natsuki gave a dumbfounded nod as her answer.

"Thank goodness..."

At that point, Fuuka passed out. Natsuki started sobbing out of control and apologizing even though Fuuka couldn't hear her.

"So what happens to her?" I asked. "She saw all the crazy stuff we do."

"Weren't not gonna have to like, erase her memory are we?"

"No Arisato, you don't need to worry." said Akihiko,. "She's not like us, so she won't remember anything. And it's good she didn't fall victim to the Shadows, though she obviously heard their call. She should be safe now."

"But, that means she'll forget Fuuka saved her life, right?"

Mitsuru glanced over at the sobbing wreck that Natsuki had become and shook her head. "Actually, I don't think it'll matter.. I think she's learned her lesson regardless."

* * *

><p>Akihiko and Mitsuru left with Fuuka and Natsuki to get them to the hospital, while that left the rest of us second year SEES newbies walking back to the dorm together.<p>

"So how did you two do that?" I asked. "That was pretty hardcore."

"I have no idea man!" said Junpei. "I just got really pissed of and BAM! Blazing Sword is go."

"Same here..." added Hamuko. "I wanted to get rid of that stupid annoying thing and then my naginata was covered in ice!"

Hrm... "Well, wait, those are the elements your Personas use. So that means you used them without summoning your Personas."

"Dude, that's possible?"

"Apparently, if you two did it." I said with a shrug. "We'll have to try it again some other time."

"Yeah, definitely." agreed Yukari. "I wanna see if I can do it too."

"Hey Roy-kun..."

I looked over at Hamuko. "Yeah?"

"If we can use our Persona's powers without summoning them, does that officially make us super heroes?"

"Hell yeah it does!" exclaimed Junpei. "Best of the best, and you better believe it!"

Hamuko giggled. "Yeah. I wonder what a manga or book about us would be called."

I laughed at that. "Hamuko-san, I don't think we're nearly interesting enough for a book. Besides, it'd probably be all focused on Junpei because he's totally the best out of the four of us."

"What, no faith in yourself Roy?"

"Nah, I just don't think I'm good enough for the spotlight."

Yukari got a chuckled out of that. "Leave it to the one with all the crazy powers nobody else has to not wanna be the center of attention."

"I never said I didn't want it, just that I don't think I'm good enough." I clarified. "There's a difference."

"Whatever you say, Roy-kun..." said Hamuko as she and the others got a little bit ahead of me. I kept pace behind them, keeping mostly quiet the rest of the way.

...A book about us, huh...?

* * *

><p>Author Notes: I actually have complaints about this chapter. Two, actually. One, I forgot I finished it about a month ago because I was rapidly distracted by about 50 different things all at once and kept thinking it was unfinished until I finally managed to focus on it, at which point I felt really, really freaking stupid. Two, I did not actually intend for this chapter to be so goddamn long. I tried to skim a few parts that really wouldn't have changed(most of the offhand mentions of S Link characters are implied S Link scenes, I should note) between this version and AFNF Classic, but it still came out about pretty goddamn long. Sorry I took so long, and yes, I will try to get the next one out sooner. Later days, people!<p> 


	7. Switch It Up: Magician

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Overlord Duelist** - Roy has a title for P4 Arena. It's the 'Crimson-haired Gaijin Cardshark'. It amuses me.

**Vince329** - Well I haven't reached the point where the vast majority of the differences appear yet, so please hush and read the story.

**KazuSaki** - Yeah, my formatting is terrible and I'm still trying to get better at it. Hopefully for later chapters I'll have a beta/editor, so things should in theory get better.

ALSO A BONUS ALERT: There's a TV Tropes page for AFNF! Link on my profile, add to it if you feel like it(And I'm going to put this alert in like the next few pre-chapter review answer things so get used to seeing it). And this Chapter isn't told by Roy. It's someone else telling the tale this time! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Roy, what the Hell is this?<p>

It's a journal thing.

Why do you have it? And why are we talking in the document instead of to each other?

Because it's funnier this way, now get to typing broski.

Why me, though? This sounds like too much of a hassle.

Well, if we die, don't you want there to be a record of your feats of badassery?

...That woooouuuuuld be awesome. Alright, I'll do it.

Cool, just stay in this document, okay?

Why?

The other stuff has personal info. Not that I don't trust you, I just don't wanna run the risk of you accidentally running your mouth about something I'd rather not have made public.

...Alright, alright.

I'm not leaving the room, you know. It's my room.

Spoil sport. Fine, I'll get started on this thing... uh... what'm I supposed to do again?

Start with something easy to remember. End of the last entry was our conversation after those big Shadows in Tartarus when we rescued Fuuka-san.

Oh, okay. I got this, Roy. Now sit back and watch The Master work~!

* * *

><p>It was like... a few days after that whole operation that Fuuka-chan was doin' well enough for us to explain things to her, so she turned up at the dorm along with Ikutsuki and the whole gang gathered up in the Meeting Room on the top floor.<p>

"You're Fuuka Yamagishi, right?" Ikutsuki asked.

She stood up real quick. "Y-Yes."

Apparently he thought it was funny, cuz he laughed a little. "Relax, there's no need to be nervous. Why don't you have a seat?"

She sat back down.

"Everyone, you did an excellent job uncovering the truth." he said. "I also wanted to let you know the three girls have regained consciousness." Fuuka-chan let out a sigh right there, I think. "From what I understand, they snuck into the school around midnight and were attacked by Shadows near the gate as the Dark Hour began. However, the facts became twisted because of rumors concerning a ghost story."

"I know right from the beginning that it wasn't a ghost." said Yuka-tan in that knew-it-all-along sort of voice she uses sometimes. Roy tried hard not to laugh right there when she said it, too.

"It's all my fault..."

Yuka-tan and Hamu-tan looked like you'd just kicked a puppy after Fuuka-chan said that.

"Are you kidding?" sputtered Yuka-tan. "You were the victim!"

"But, I made so many people worry..."

"It wasn't your fault though, Fuuka-chan!" said Hamu-tan. "You were locked in the school by some bullies."

Mitsuru-senpai stood up at that point and walked over next to Fuuka-chan.

"We could have lost that fight if you weren't there." she said. "You saved our lives, so you should feel good about yourself. You have a special power that you can use to help others."

"A special power...?"

"We call it 'Persona'." Senpai explained. "You could be a tremendous help to us. Will you lend us your strength?"

Fuuka-chan kinda figured out what she was getting there. "Are you asking me to join you...?"

Mitsuru-senpai nodded. Fuuka-chan looked at Akihiko-san and he nodded too.

"You know, we're not trying to pressure you..." began Yuka-tan. "So if you need some time to think about it..."

Fuuka-chan just shook her head and stood up.

"I'll do it." She said. "I'll help you!"

"A-Are you sure?" asked Yuka-tan, sounding really worried—like she'd just accepted me asking her out for a date or somethin'. "If you join, you'll have to live here..."

"That's fine." replied Fuuka-chan. "I'd rather live here than at home anyway."

"What." I know Roy said that, because he had the most 'what the hell' look on his face when he did it, but nobody seemed to be payin' attention to him.

Mitsuru-senpai seemed happy, though. "We really appreciate this. We'll have the school talk to your parents to resolve any issues."

"Thank you."

"Wait a minute!" said Yuka-tan. "Aren't we dragging her into this a bit fast?"

"I'm with Yukari-san on this." added Roy. "I mean sure, me and Hamuko-san basically jumped at this, but we're very strange people even without our psychic brain demon powers. No offense."

Hamu-tan waved her hand a little. "None taken, Roy-kun."

"But yeah, are you really sure about this Fuuka-san?" he asked. "This sorta thing is a lot bigger than it really-"

"I don't mind, really!" said Fuuka-chan, cutting Roy off. "I... have my own reasons to want to join you."

Roy left his mouth hanging open for a moment, then sighed. "Doesn't everyone...?"

"Now then..." began the Chairman, gettin' everybody's attention. "Those special Shadows showed up again, and we still don't know where they're coming from. However, Akihiko is right about one thing; their appearances seem to coincide with the full moon, so we'll have to take that into consideration from now on."

"So, they're kinda like werewolves then, huh?" I asked.

"Except for the 'poor bastard turning into a ravenous monster' part, yeah." Roy said. "Or at least it seems that way."

"It's a big advantage for us to know when to expect them." said Akihiko-san. "Now, on the day of the fight, we'll be ready to get in the ring."

* * *

><p>Yuka-tan and Roy didn't seem entirely thrilled, but the meeting was over so everyone went to bed. Or at least I think they did... whatever. Me? I went and kicked some ass on Call of Duty! Next thing I remember happening was Roy and Yuka-tan pulling me aside along at lunch the next day.<p>

"What's up dude?" I asked. "Why the serious face?"

"Because after talking to Yukari I finally stopped being quite so thick and noticed something was up?" He asked back. "And don't start with the honorifics, she said it was alright."

I looked at Yuka-tan. "What's he talkin' about?"

"Haven't you noticed Mitsuru-senpai and the Chairman don't really tell us anything?"

"What cha' mean? They told us all the important stuff, right?"

Yuka-tan shook her head. "No, they haven't. They're hiding something, I know it."

I couldn't help it, I laughed right there. "Seriously? Yuka-tan, that's just your paranoia talking. Ya gotta relax, take it easy! If we needed to know more stuff, they'd tell us."

"I doubt that." said Roy. "Senpai has a decent poker face, but whenever anybody asked a question about where the hell Tartarus first came from or how it appeared, she tensed up or had a nervous twitch. Sketchtsuki's a harder nut to crack, though after that recording I saw I'm not sure I wanna crack him open."

Huh? "What recording?"

"Oh, Senpai wanted me to look at the Command Room's computer the other day cuz it was acting up and apparently the security camera in there picked up Ol' Sketch making bad jokes to himself after the Monorail Operation." He said. "Told her about it so now she's got some tech dudes coming to fix it, but that's not important."

"Then why do you call the Chairman 'Sketchtsuki'?"

"Because you cannot expect me to look at that guy and not think he's a creeper." Roy replied flatly. "Now focus, this is important stuff man."

"Alright alright, but whaddya want me to do about it?" I asked. "I just fight Shadows, I'm not cut out for diggin' up dirt so why're ya comin' to me?"

"Because I'd hoped you'd noticed something about how Mitsuru-senpai was acting." sighed Yuka-tan. "But I guess not..."

Roy shrugged and put his hands in his pants pockets. "Oh well, guess we gotta look into this ourselves, huh?"

"Yeah... C'mon, let's go..."

"Hey, when did you two get-"

"Dude, we're just friends and it's probably gonna stay that way. Calm down."

"Spoil sport."

* * *

><p>School dragged on after that, and once we got back to the dorm Yuka-tan headed straight towards the stairs with Hamu-tan.<p>

"Hey, what're you two up to?" I asked.

"We're going to be getting a room ready for Fuuka." replied Yuka-tan. "No guys allowed."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Why would I-"

"Because it's you, Junpei-kun." said Hamu-tan with a teasing voice. "Just hang around with Roy-kun and Akihiko-senpai or something, okay?"

I shrugged. "Alright..."

The brunette babes headed on upstairs, leaving me alone to wait for Roy to get back. He said he had something big to do at Student Council so it was a while before he showed up. When he did, he looked kinda happy.

"S'up dude?"

"Doing my part to aid the elderly, but that's a story for another day." he replied. "Where's Yukari and Hamuko?"

"They're getting Fuuka-chan's room ready on the third floor." I told him. "No guys allowed, but you don't see me complainin'."

Roy laughed. "Fair enough. Wanna go hang out somewhere then?"

"Sure, got a place in mind?"

"Hell yeah I do."

"Roy, why are we here?"

He gave me a look like I was crazy. "Is it a problem?"

"Dude, guys don't come to places like this with other guys."

"Have you _seen_ the waitresses, bro?"

"No, why-" I stopped when I actually saw one of the waitresses. Her uniform made her look like a maid. "...Well what're we standin' around out here for? Let's go in!"

He laughed as we went in and got a table, then waited after we made our orders.

"You know, I've never been in here before..." I admitted. "Never really had a reason to show up. Always kinda figured Yuka-tan would drag me here sometime instead of a dude."

"Well it's kind of the only place open this late, so the idea seemed legit." Roy said. "Besides, the coffee's real good."

"I'll be the judge of that." I said, the very hot brunette waitress... wait a second... "Hamu-tan?"

She blinked. "Oh, hi Junpei-kun. Hi Roy-kun."

"You work here?" asked Roy as she set our drinks down on the table.

"Part time." She admitted. "Pays good and the uniform is really cute."

I looked her over real quick. "I'll say."

"Gotta get back to it, though!" Hamu-tan said, somehow managing to balance like ten things on the trays she had. How did she even manage to give us our drinks with that much stuff in her hands? Must be a chick thing. "Catch you two later! Bye!"

"Later Hamuko." Roy said as she walked away with a spring in her step, then he looked at me. "Ya learn something new everyday."

"Guess so." I agreed before I took a sip of my coffee. "Damn, this is good stuff. Guy who owns this place has gotta be really picky about the beans." I paused to think. "Probably roasts them all differently using special waters for each type, too..."

Roy laughed. "You sound like a critic."

"Heheh, nah, I just really like coffee, that's all." I told him. "You get a coffee too?"

"Yeah, it's good stuff and I don't even normally drink coffee."

"Such is the allure of a good brew." I said sagely, holding my drink aloft slightly before taking another sip.

"What are you, Junpei the Wise all of a sudden?"

I grinned. "Perhaps, but please, no autographs. I'm too important for such…_mortal_ things."

Roy laughed again, drinking more of his coffee quietly as a question popped into my head.

"Hey Roy... there any girls you're interested in?"

"Interested how?"

"Don't gimme that, you know what I mean man. Any lovely lady caught your eye? I mean, look how many girls at school want a piece of Akihiko-senpai." I laughed. "I wonder how many he's got eating out of his hands..." I stopped for a sec. "Wait... Akihiko-san's not like that..."

"Well of course not." said Roy. "He said they give him headaches, so I wouldn't be surprised if he basically makes an exercise routine out of escaping them after school."

"HA! Man, that would be hilarious if he actually did it."

Roy laughed along with me. "Yeah, seriously. But no, there's nobody I've really noticed as standing out from the crowd." He shrugged. "Maybe I just have impossible standards and don't realize it."

"Well, if you ever find yourself lookin' for a girl, I'll be your wingman!" I said. "Guys gotta stick together at times like that!"

Roy laughed again, stopping and shuddering slightly after a few seconds.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said. "Just a little chill outta nowhere."

"Alright, if you're sure dude..." I looked at my watch. "So after this, you wanna just head back or what?"

He shrugged. "Don't matter to me unless you wanna do something else."

I grinned. "Well, there is one thing..."

* * *

><p>After that I swore never to challenge Roy to Street Fighter ever again, cheating bastard that he is. The game was rigged! The high kick button was broken! Venus was in retrograde!<p>

Oh come on you whiner, I did not even beat you that badly.

Roy shut the hell up and let me write this if you want me to write this. Yeah, go sit on your bed ya crazy bastard. Sheesh... Anyways, the next few days didn't have anything really big happening till me 'n Roy were walking back to the dorm. Well, what happened wasn't so much big as it was really, really weird. It started once we were at Port Island Station and we were in the middle of a debate for the ages.

"No, Roy, you just don't get it." I said. "One does not simply LIKE Doritos, one fucking LOVES Doritos because they are what is right and just in the world! If you don't like Doritos, then the terrorists WIN!"

"Junpei, you're my best friend and all..." Roy began, looking very unconvinced by my completely flawless logic. "But you sound like some kind of nutty patriotic fruit loop I saw back home protesting against people who wanted the US to pull the military out of-"

"Excuse me. May I have a moment of your time?"

The two of us stopped and turned around, looking at some short guy with a hat and what looks like his bodyguard. No way that's his dad.

"Sure..." Roy replied. "You need something, pal?"

"I would merely like to ask you a few questions."

Roy gave the little guy a weird look. "About what?"

"The disappearance of one Fuuka Yamagishi." he said. "You are both acquainted with her, correct?"

"Yeah, so?" asked Roy before I could say something. "You a detective or something?"

"No, he is not." replied the bodyguard. "His Grandfather had been hired to investigate the girl's disappearance and he wished to help."

"Well if that's the case, then why're you talking to us now?" I asked. "Fuuka-chan's safe and sound, so I don't really see a point to this..."

"That is precisely why I'm here." said the short guy. "Though the case is officially closed now that she has been found, I do not believe all the loose ends have been dealt with."

Roy looked at him again. "How so?"

"Her disappearance itself isn't entirely out of the ordinary." he began. "A simple case of bullying from my understanding of the events. However, there was a ten day period after this where Yamagishi-san simply disappeared without a trace before suddenly being found..." His eyes narrowed. "By residents of the dormitory both of you, and now Yamagishi-san, are currently residing."

"Your point?"

The guy didn't look happy at the way Roy was talking to him. "My point is that people do not simply disappear into thin air. Yamagishi-san had to have gone somewhere, and I believe you know where it was."

"What?" I all but shouted. "Are you thinking we did something to hide her? What are you smokin', man?"

"I didn't say that, but I am considering it a possibility." he said. "Yamagishi-san moved into your dorm within a few days of being found. In fact, according to the notes my Grandfather gave me regarding his interview with a teacher from your school, the two of you along with three of your fellow dorm residents spoke with him the day before she was brought to Tatsumi Memorial Hospital along with one Natsuki Moriyama regarding Yamagishi's disappearance and Moriyama-san's part in it." He looked at us with a thousand-yard stare. "Do you wish to elaborate?"

I sure as hell couldn't, I didn't know what to say to this guy. He was onto SEES pretty bad with just that stuff he told us there about Fuuka-chan getting lost in Tartarus, and this guy doesn't even know about Personas!

"First off, how could a group of six teenagers, counting myself, make one person disappear when the majority of us didn't know exactly when she disappeared or where she was last scene until the talk with her homeroom teacher you mentioned?" Roy asked, surprising me and the short guy. "Second, what would any of us gain from her going missing for longer, and third, why would she move into our dorm if we did do something to her? Plus as you probably already know, one of the six teenagers I mentioned is Mitsuru Kirijo. She'd be a much better target for a kidnapping because then she could be ransomed because her family is freaking loaded as all hell if the rest of us were out to actually plan something illegal and we wouldn't have to work nearly as hard to get our greedy hands on her because she lives in the same building as us." Roy crossed his arms. "And I know there's a security system at our dorm, which means we all have solid alibis because we're on goddamn tape and the most tech savvy person I know is on the other side of the Pacific goddamn Ocean unless maybe someone at the dorm is secretly a gadgeteer genius and hasn't told anyone."

The guy's eyes were wide and the bodyguard dude seemed surprised at that whole rant Roy gave. I don't blame them either, I was shocked too. The short guy recovered first though.

"But you don't deny you know where Yamagishi-san was during her disappearance?" he asked.

Roy shrugged. "Never said I did either, and even if I did it wasn't even me who found her, it was Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-san. Go ask them about it."

"Neither one wished to speak with me."

"Well can you blame them?" Roy asked. "You just marched up to us with no introduction and started asking questions. Not exactly professional if you ask me."

The short guy let out an angry huff. "Very well. My name is Naoto Shirogane." He motioned to the bodyguard guy with his left hand. "This is Yakushiji, my Grandfather's secretary."

Yakushiji just kinda bowed a little, but kept quiet like he had been since that one thing he said earlier.

"Much better, thank you." said Roy. "I'm Roy Fortune."

"Junpei Iori..." I said shakily.

"With that taken care of, are you willing to share what you know?"

Roy sighed. "I have shared what I know, but it seems you're asking me for something I don't."

"The fact your expression and posture haven't betrayed you in any way suggests otherwise, Fortune-san." said Naoto. "Iori-san has appeared uncomfortable during this entire exchange, and yet you have not."

"I played poker a lot back home in America." he told her. "So yeah, I figured out how to keep my cool. Is that a crime?"

"No, I merely found it suspicious..." replied Naoto slowly, kinda glaring at him before sighing. "Very well, if neither of you can shed any light on this, I shall leave you be." He tipped his hat. "Good day to you both."

"Likewise, Shirogane-san." said Roy, matching the gesture. I kinda did as well, muttering a goodbye as the two guys walked off.

Roy 'n me started towards the station quietly until he asked me something that surprised the hell out of me.

"You do know the short one with the hat was a chick, right?"

* * *

><p>The week was still boring till Mitsuru-senpai told us to head right back for a meeting on the 20th, so I headed back quick after school. I saw Roy and most of the girls outside the dorm, talking about some dog.<p>

Koromaru is an awesome dog, okay? Shut up.

Are you gonna let me write this or not?

Yes, I just like peeking over your shoulder and typing comments for the hell of it.

Oh go sit back down man. Jeez. Anyways, once they were all back inside we went upstairs for the big meeting.

"Hello, everyone." began the chairman. "I wanted to let you know how my research has been going. This concerns those Shadows that have been appearing during full moons, so I want you to listen closely because it may be hard to follow. Shadows can be divided into twelve categories, according to their characteristics. This, we've know for a while-"

"Pardon me, but is this to say there's a total of twelve of those Full Moon Shadows?" asked Roy. "Because that seemed kinda obvious to me considering we've killed four of them and they've gone, in order, from Magician to Emperor."

Ikutsuki-san seemed impressed. "That is correct Fortune. As I'm sure you're aware, by that reckoning Hierophant would be the next Shadow encountered."

"Followed by Lovers, then Chariot, and blah blah blah." Roy said, making a motion with his hand like it was a talking mouth. "No puns once we get to number ten, though."

Hamuko looked at him. "Why would we make puns?"

"Because ten is Fortune." said Mitsuru with a smirk on her face.

"Yes, exactly, thank you for that Senpai." sighed Roy.

I just kinda scratched my head. "Okay, so we know what one's next... but what are these things after?"

"That's a good question and what we haven't figured out yet: their motive. They don't kill their prey; they feed on their minds." said the Chairman. "It can be considered predation, but is it really? Is there an underlying intent behind their behavior?"

"I'm more interested in where they came from." said Roy. "I mean, the giant ones aside, they act more like animals then something with human-level intelligence."

"This is all very interesting, but no matter what, we still have to beat the rest of 'em." said Akihiko-san.

"I agree." said Mitsuru-senpai. "That's about all we can do at this point."

"Eight more, huh?" asked Yuka-tan. "Lucky us..."

"According to the data, each one has been stronger than the last, so we better start training harder..."

Akihiko-san grinned at the word 'training'. "We'll manage. We've got plenty of time."

"What about Tartarus?" asked Yuka-tan, sitting up straighter in her seat. "Why does it even exist...?"

I looked at Mitsuru-senpai and she looked like she was biting her lip. After seeing that, I thought maybe Roy and Yuka-tan might've been right.

* * *

><p>Aside from a visit to Tartarus that didn't really stick in my mind, the next couple of days were as boring as the ones before the meeting until the 23rd. It was raining that day, so most of the sports teams moved into the gym. I bring this up because I was gonna hang with Roy after school, but he was going to his Mixed Martial Arts club so I figured I'd stick around and watch him because hell no was I walking back to the dorm in rain that bad. Plus, his team got moved into the same place as the Boxing Club. Like hell I'd pass up a chance to see Akihiko-san go up against something other then Shadows.<p>

It was different seeing Roy go up against other people, too. Kinda bummed he couldn't go up against Kaz, who was sitting on the sidelines with his left leg in a cast and a set of crutches nearby, because he's the best on the team.

"Alright, take a break for now!" shouted the coach of the MMA team. "Urahara and Kurosaki, you two are up next."

Roy sat down on the bench next to me with a big sigh. "Cripes, didn't know Enzan had it in him..."

"You still whooped his ass like he owed you money." I pointed out.

Roy laughed. "Yeah, but he almost had me with that grab. Dude's good, I gotta give him that."

"Not bad, Fortune."

The two of us turned to see Akihiko standing nearby.

"I knew you were pretty good just from what I'd seen, but that was better than I expected." He said, walking towards us. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"You can blame one Zoe Darius and her older brother Rick." said Roy. "The two of them are kind of ridiculous and took martial arts classes since they were about... eh, I think seven and eight years old respectively? Taught me damn near everything I know, the rest coming from either one Tracey Carlson or my uncle Shane if I didn't just make it up myself."

"What kind of regiment were you on?"

Roy shrugged. "I kinda wasn't, I just learned from them mostly. Sure, I'd go for a jog every other day during summer break, but I didn't do a whole lot besides practicing stuff. I could beat Zoe fairly easy, but Rick is way tougher then her and beating Tracey is straight out the equation because he's in his twenties. Funnily enough I've seen Zoe kick my uncle's ass more then once." He grinned. "Ten year old schooling a thirty-something ex-military guy in hand-to-hand combat is funny as hell to watch."

I whistled. "Damn Roy, you're lucky to have survived that."

He laughed louder. "No, I'm lucky to have survived Renard and his penchant for blowing up things that shouldn't logically explode, but that's a different story."

"One you're gonna have to tell me sometime." I added.

"Deal." Roy agreed, then he looked up at Akihiko-san. "So, what? Did you want to learn some of my moves or something? I don't think I know anything that'd work in boxing."

He shook his head. "Nah, I had a different idea."

"That being...?"

Akihiko-san pointed at one of the rings. "You against me. I wanna see how good you are myself."

Roy almost spat out the sports drink he was trying to sip from when Akihiko-san said that.

"You WHAT?" he asked.

"I wanna go a few rounds in a fight with you." said Akihiko-san. "C'mon, it's just a sparring match. Besides, we can help each other improve."

Roy stared at him for a little while, then shrugged. "Ah, what the hell? Why not. Get us a ring to brawl in, I gotta get this off..."

"Roy, what're you doing?" I asked as he started undoing the bandage on his right arm. "And why were you wearing that anyways?"

"He calls it his limiter." chimed in Kaz, hobbling over to us on his crutches. "He doesn't go all out if he's wearing that on his arm." He looked over at Roy. "But dude, you're really gonna spar with Sanada-senpai? Are you insane?"

Roy stopped what he was doing and slowly turned his head to look at Kaz.

"Right, this is you we're talking about." Kaz said. "Doesn't make sense why you're taking that off, though."

"This is Akihiko-san we're talking about here, Kaz." said Roy. "If I don't take it seriously, I'm just gonna get flattened, sparring match or not."

"Alright, if you're sure..." said Kaz. "I'm totally putting my money on you, by the way."

Roy laughed. "It's your money to waste, bro."

"What, no faith in-" I stopped when I got a good look at Roy's arm. "Dude, you have a tattoo?"

"It was a birthday gift." he replied with a shrug as he stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to try to not make a massive fool of myself." He paused, then laughed a little. "Ah, I crack myself up..."

He kept chuckling as he climbed into the ring with Akihiko-san, at which point basically everything else in the room stopped. All eyes were on the two of them as they stared each other down from other sides of the boxing ring.

"Just a spar, right Senpai?" Roy asked, his stance sort of hunched over and low to the ground. "No hard feelings if I manage to kick your ass?"

Akihiko-san laughed. "Don't get overconfident or I'll just take you down in one shot!"

Roy grinned. "I accept this challenge."

Senpai was the first one to move, aiming a punch right at Roy's head. Roy sidestepped and tried a kick that got blocked and followed up with a punch of his own. After that, though, I stopped really being able to keep up. It was punches and kicks going at angles that seemed insane, but the fact Roy was keeping with with Akihiko-san is what had most peoples attention. It's not hard to figure why when you realize Roy's the new kid at school, and he's from another country entirely. Also the fact he's insanely tall and likely makes Godzilla jokes in his head about it, but that's understandable because I'd totally do that too.

The two of them were at it for like, ten minutes straight before the took a quick breather. And by 'quick', I mean they drank from whatever water bottle they had real quick and went right back to beating each other up. It was insane, but Roy wasn't exactly winning. He was getting hit way more often and couldn't keep up with Senpai's punches most of the time. Once Akihiko-san got a brutal left hook to connect with Roy's jaw it was over. Roy just sort of staggered, then crumpled to the mat trying to catch his breath.

"Okay..." he said between gasps. "That was... officially... not one... of my better ideas... ha..."

Senpai chuckled a little, then walked over to help Roy up. "Bad idea or not... you still did really good." He rubbed the side of his face where Roy had managed to hit him. "Got me good more than once."

"Ha... thanks, Senpai." Roy chuckled as he brushed himself off. "Still... gonna feel this tomorrow..."

"That's what you get for being cocky." Akihiko-san laughed. "If you weren't gonna take it easy, you can't really blame me for not holding back either."

Roy opened his mouth to say something, then decided against it and sighed. "Okay, yeah, I walked right into that..."

"Hey, were you two planing on anything after club?" asked Senpai. "I wanted to head to Hagakure for some ramen."

"No, but if ramen is in the equation then hell yes I'll tag along!" Roy said with a grin, then he looked at me. "You're coming too, right?"

"Hell yeah!" I replied. "Count me in!"

* * *

><p>Surprisingly it'd stopped raining a lot once the club meetings were over, so it was just the three of us talking aimlessly on the way to the ramen shop. Hell, by the time we got their the sun was out.<p>

"Alright, I already know what I'm gonna order!" I said, a huge grin on my face as I lead the march towards Hagakure. "This is gonna..." Something caught my eye, though. "...Whoa, what the hell?"

There was a guy over near a handrail staggering around like an idiot, yelling about stuff. The sight of him just made me sick.

"What's up, Junpei?"

I pointed vaguely at the drunk. "Dude's completely wasted. In broad daylight, too! What the hell..."

"So, let's just avoid him." suggested Akihiko-san. "We're not even going that way anyways."

I nodded, scowling at the drunk. "Yeah. I don't wanna deal with somebody like that. I mean, it's his own damn fault if he gets hit by a car or something..."

"Haaaaah...?"

I cringed. Drunk bastard noticed us.

"Wha'chu lookin' at...?" He asked with an angry slur.

"Whaddya want?" I growled. "Get outta here."

I felt someone grab my arm. "Dude, let's just go to Hagakure. C'mon."

I looked back at Roy, then towards the drunk. He'd staggered off on his way when I didn't answer him or something, I don't know and I don't really care.

"...Yeah, you're right."

* * *

><p>Roy tried to ask what was up, but I said I'd tell him later. I don't know Senpai as well as Roy, so I felt weird about talking about around him. Anyways, the shop wasn't too crowded, not surprising since it was raining, so we all sat down at the counter.<p>

"You guys are okay with the special, right?"

"YES." Roy and I said at the exact same time, then we looked at each other.

"Dude..." He said. "Mind sync."

"I know, right?"

"Three extra-large specials, please."

I looked at Akihiko-senpai. "Extra-large?"

He looked at me. "Is that a problem?"

"Hell no!" I said. "I was just makin' sure I heard that right!"

"Alright then."

"Why so generous, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Roy.

"Physical strength is everything." said Akihiko-san. "Your skills are remarkable..." He glanced at me. "Yours are pretty good, too, but none of that means anything if you both get exhausted easily."

"Is this about the time I basically passed out after fighting that revolver-toting Shadow bastard?" asked Roy. "Because that is kind of not fair considering Shade punched it out twice and, according to Mitsuru-senpai, it shouldn't have felt a damn thing."

"That's exactly why. If you can do that, it's probably better if you can do it without getting worn out."

Roy looked at him for a second, then shrugged. "Okay, can't fault your logic with that..." He looked back at the counter as the ramen bowls arrived. "Oh hell yes, it is a good day today~!"

* * *

><p>Roy sighed contently after finishing his ramen, saying something in English that I'm assuming meant he enjoyed that.<p>

"Wow, you destroyed that bowl..."

"I work up a good appetite." said Roy. "That and I just eat a lot anyways."

"Is that why you're so damn tall?" I asked.

Roy shrugged. "Probably."

"You should still take it easy so you don't overeat." said Akihiko-san. "Mitsuru was the one who recommended you be our leader, but I thought you'd be best for the position and you're our secret weapon out there. Just don't overdo things and do your best out there, okay? Our lives are on the line, after all."

"I know." said Roy. "You guys just watch my back, okay? I can't do everything."

"Hah, alright." I laughed. "You can count on me to watch your back!"

"Of course." said Senpai. "You're not the only one who's going to be trying hard out there."

Roy grinned, then shivered and stood up. "So you guys wanna head back or what?"

"You two go on ahead, I've got something I need to do." said Akihiko. "I'll see you at the dorm."

"Alright, Senpai. C'mon, let's get goin', Roy."

* * *

><p>"Welcome back." said Mitsuru-senpai once me 'n Roy walked in. "I would like to inform you both we have two weeks until the moon is full again. It would be wise to increase our strength as much as possible before then."<p>

"Two weeks?" I asked. "Hah, plenty of time. But I gotta admit, I kinda wonder what this one's gonna look like... The suspense is killing me..."

"Same here." said Roy as he plopped down on one of the sofas.

Mitsuru-senpai smiled slightly. "You're both starting to sound like Akihiko. Just remember, this is not a joke." She glanced toward the door. "That reminds me... Why is he not back yet?"

"We were just at Hagakure with him." said Roy. "He said he had something to do so he stayed behind..."

Senpai seemed interested by that, but she didn't say anything and went back to reading her book. It was about twenty minutes later that the door opened up.

"Hey, where've you be-" Roy stopped once his head turned enough to see who walked it. Akihiko-senpai had that scary dude from the back alley with him.

"Aragaki?" asked Mitsuru-senpai, sounding surprised. "I wasn't expecting to see you here..." She kinda trailed off and looked at Akihiko-san. He looked surprised as well.

Shinjiro-san kinda looked at Mitsuru-senpai angrily. "I have my reasons, Kirijo. This gonna be a problem?"

Senpai didn't seem happy about that, but she didn't say anything. "...No. I assume you'll be claiming your old room?"

"It's still open, right?" he asked. Senpai nodded. "Then yeah, I'll be moving back in."

"Hey, what's going on out here?" asked Hamu-tan, walking out of the kitchen with half-eaten candy bar in her hand. She stopped when she saw Shinjiro-san. "O-Oh, um... H-Hello..."

Shinjiro-san stared right at her. I think he looked her over, too.

"...Hey." He said, then he headed towards the stairs. "I'll be in my room."

"Aragaki."

He stopped and looked back at Mitsuru-senpai.

"I hope you realize you'll have to attend school if you wish to stay here." she said, glaring at him.

"Tch. Whatever." He just turned away and went upstairs.

"W-Why is he here...?" asked Hamu-tan.

"He's rejoining SEES..." said Akihiko-san, sounding kinda like he couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Oh..." Hamu-tan fidgeted a little. "Okay then..."

"Hey, Senpai..."

Akihiko-san and Mitsuru-senpai looked at Roy.

"Did he have a preference for gear?" he asked. "I wanna know if we already got something for him to use or not."

"He usually used an axe." said Akihiko-san. "A really big one."

Roy hummed. "Lucky for us we found one last time we went to Tartarus then..." He stood up. "I'm gonna head to bed then. We got stuff to do tomorrow night anyways."

"Tartarus?" I asked.

"Well duh. What else do we do late at night around here? Y'know, besides sleep?"

* * *

><p>Lucky for me nothing major happened at school the next day because I was paying less attention then usual. A bit too excited about goin' to Tartarus probably, but life threatening creatures aside it's always exciting to go there. Plus since Fuuka-chan joined us, it's been way better because she can play music. Roy 'n me usually jam while we're training. It's awesome.<p>

Slightly less awesome this time, because Roy had me, Akihiko-san, and the new guy tag along for the first part of the trip. It might've just been me, but Shinjiro-san is kind of a killjoy. When he's not pretty much obliterating Shadows that so much as glance at him funny anyways. He's scary powerful and so's that Persona of his. Nowhere near as cool as Hermes, though.

"Persona!" _**BANG**_

The last of the current group of Shadows we were tearing through went down to to Akihiko-san while Roy healed everybody.

"We should pick up the pace." said Senpai. "The Shadows down here aren't good practice."

Roy shrugged. "Well that's what I get for thinking we should ease into things with the new guy. But if you wanna get into the heavier stuff, then let's roll."

"Tch."

"Oh don't you start, how long has it been since you last fought a Shadow before tonight?"

"Not long enough." grunted Shinjiro-san.

Roy shrugged again. "Alright, alright. C'mon, Fuuka-san said the stairs should be nearby..."

"Yeah, she said it was like right around the corner." I said, following Roy. "Yeah, see? Straight ahead."

"Cool."

_{Watch out!}_

Roy and I span around in time to see a bunch of Shadows just spring outta nowhere and attack with weird arrow things. They didn't aim, so I think the only one hit was Akihiko-san. Roy and Shinjiro-san blew 'em away then checked on Senpai.

"Hey, are you-" Roy got cut off when Akihiko-san suddenly punched him in the face. "Ow! What the fuck?"

Shinjiro-san backed off before Senpai took a swing at him too. His eyes were glowing pink.

"What the hell's going o- WHOA!"

I barely had the time to get out of the way of Akihiko-san's Persona firing a lightning bolt at me.

"He's Charmed!" shouted Shinjiro-san. "He thinks we're Shadows right now!"

"First I've heard of this!" Roy said as he blocked a few more punches from Senpai. "Do we have anything to snap him out of it?"

_{Mitsuru-senpai says to use a Healing Persona or a Curative Item!}_

"Thanks Fuuka, but I'd need someone to keep Akihiko-san busy!" grunted Roy as he struggled to keep a grip on Akihiko-san's arms. "Or somebody can just punch him!"

As if it was a cue, Shinjiro-san hit Senpai in the face.

"I'll help too!" I said, swinging around the bat Roy gave me earlier to try and keep Akihiko-san from getting past me before Roy could help him.

"Damn Shadows, get out of my way!" He shouted, punching at Shinjiro-san when he wasn't dodging my attacks. "Gotta find the others...!"

"Okay, I got this! Narcissus!" _**BANG**_

I didn't get a good look at the Persona he summoned, but it stopped Akihiko-san from flailing around trying to punch us.

"What just happened...?" he asked. "My head... ugh..."

"You got Charmed." said Shinjiro-san. "Leader boy snapped you out of it with some half-naked guy."

"Hey, I literally cannot help it if some of these Personas are weird as hell!" shouted Roy. "I just summon the damn things, I don't get to choose what they look like!"

"Whatever. Let's just get-"

"**HULKSTER'S GONNA RUN WILD ON YOU!"**

One of those big body builder Shadows just like, teleported next to Shinjiro-san and knocked him and Akihiko-san aside like they were pieces of paper. It turned towards me, but Roy blasted it with wind or something, I don't really know because suddenly everything slowed down for me.

"I got this!" I shouted, running straight towards it. I slid to a stop right infront of it then swung for the fences. The end result? That big Shadow was suddenly flying through the air, then it smashed into a wall and exploded like Shadows usually do when we beat them. I couldn't help put pose like a badass after that. "Ha! Who's da man?"

"Junpei Iori, because holy SHIT bro, you just one shotted that thing!" said Roy. "What the hell, man?"

I shrugged. "I dunno, and I don't care! I wanna do that again!"

"Take it easy there, Babe Ruth..." He sighed. "If that was anything like what I did, you might pass out."

"Please!" I scoffed. "I'm fine... but who the hell is Babe Ruth?"

"Famous American Baseball Player. Set a record for most home runs once."

"Awesome."

"If you two are done, can we get moving?" asked Shinjiro. "We don't have all night."

"Yeah, yeah..."

* * *

><p>After that, it was just the usual training and stuff till the Dark Hour was over and we went home. And I think that's a good place to stop for this... And hey, Roy's outta the room. Hehehe, let's see what sorta stuff he's got here<p>

That's enough out of Junpei. Thanks Pharos.

"You're welcome."

* * *

><p>Author Notes: I hate how distracted I can get sometimes. I really do. Anyways, behold! A new recurring trend for Reshuffled: Switch It Up Chapters! These ones have Roy stepping aside and letting another SEES member tell the story. I mean, he did talk about a book at the end of Chapter 6. That should've been a clue for you all. And yes, that thing Junpei did to the Gigas Shadow was his Follow-up Attack ala P4. Everybody in SEES gets one... among other insane ideas I have.<p>

Mwehehehehe...


	8. Slight of Hand

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner, GO!

**Astrih Konnash** - Hey, nice to hear from you again! Glad you liked it.

**KazuSaki** - As I said, 'Switch It Up!' Chapters are gonna be a recurring thing, and you'll just have to wait and see. There's a total of seven planned, counting Junpei's. The last one will be a real surprise for everyone. Also, you're a very perceptive reviewer! I have Chekhov's Stuff hidden in a few chapters already and some planned for later ones. As with the Switch It Up Chapters, you'll just have to wait and see what I've got in store.

ALSO A BONUS ALERT: There's a TV Tropes page for AFNF! Link on my profile, add to it if you feel like it(I'll stop putting this in the pre-chapter bit after Chapter 10). Also, I'd like to thank **P.T. Piranha** for Beta Editing this chapter for me! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"Okay guys, keep these things busy for like... twenty seconds!" I said as everyone else was fighting off a Tartarus Guardian Shadow. "I have a cunning plan!"<p>

"Well make it quick!" Shouted Hamuko as she dodged a wind blast from the Guardian. "This thing is really nasty!"

"Don't worry, I just have to make myself angry and all with be well!" I said, touching both sides of my head with my index fingers. "Just have to think of mean things! Like milk! No, wait, Red Bull!"

"What the hell are you doing?" barked Shinjiro. "Help us damn it!"

"I will! But first... brain must be a mountain of hatred..." I stammered. "Now I'm thinking about kittens... kittens... covered in spikes... that... makes... me angry...!"

I let out a feral shout as the rage started actually taking over.

"MY NAME. IS ROY. L. FORTUNE." I bellowed. "AND I. HATE. BABIES!"

* * *

><p>I sorta lost track of what the hell was going on at that point, I just know there was a lot of shouting, a lot of anger, and a lot of something getting the shit beat out of it. I snapped out of it... I think maybe seven minutes later because of someone slapping me.<p>

"Okay... that was totally worth it..." I said as I rubbed my face. "I hurt basically everywhere but it was worth it."

"What the hell was that?" asked Shinjiro.

"Berserker!" I replied cheerfully. "A Persona of mine who basically revolves around me getting into unstoppable rage and killing the hell out of everything not friendly. That was me using him. I'm probably not gonna do it again because I have no idea what the hell just happened."

Yukari looked at me like I was actually crazy. "You tore that Shadow apart with your bare hands!"

"Really? Damn... Guess using a Persona ability to make myself angry while it also had an ability that makes me physically stronger _while_ angry will do that." I said as I focused on a different Persona. "Sure as hell not using that guy ever again. Get angry at the wrong time and I could take out a wall or ten."

"Yeah... that would be bad..." agreed Hamuko. "But what's your middle name?"

-...What.- "Why the sudden interest?"

"Well you were shouting in English for one thing," she said, speaking perfect English herself. "And you said your middle name started with an 'L'. So what is it?"

-...Fuck.- "...I'll tell you later. For now let's just move along..."

"Okay!"

* * *

><p>We got a few more floors up and got absolutely swarmed by Shadows. It wasn't anything we couldn't handle of course, especially not with Shinjiro basically disintegrating them by the dozen.<p>

"Tch." he grunted after we finished off the last of them. "Some things never change..." He turned towards everyone, then looked around like he was confused. "Wait, where's that other one who came with us? Ari... sato?"

"I'm right here, Senpai~!"

He sighed. "I know I told you-"

Both him and me stopped and had our jaws drop when we got a load of Hamuko. Mainly, that she was now suddenly wearing very, very little. It was like a silver-colored swimsuit with matching thigh-high boots, bicep-length gloves, a headband thing, and some vaguely armored pieces. And high heels.

"...Hamuko-san, what the hell are you wearing?" I asked. "And where did you find it?"

She shrugged. "I dunno what it's called, but I found it in a room with a few gold boxes in it back there!" She pointed back the way she'd come from. "And don't let the look fool you, it's really sturdy stuff!" She struck a sort of victory pose. "I hardly got a scratch~!"

"We can see that..." said Yukari blankly. "But why are you wearing that?"

"It looks cute." Hamuko replied simply, then she dug around in a satchel she had over her shoulder. "I found a red one too if you want one, Yukari-chan!"

"NO WAY!" said the brunette archer instantly. "There is no way I'm going to wear that!"

"Awww..."

"How the fuck can you even wear that?" sputtered Shinjiro.

"Easily?" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's just a set of clothes..."

"Barely!" shouted Yukari. "You need to put something else on over that!"

Hamuko tilted her head. "Why?"

"Because it's indecent!"

"So?"

Yukari and Hamuko continued on like that while Shinjiro walked over to me.

"I gotta ask..." he began. "What kind of people is Kirijo recruiting for SEES these days? And where is she finding them?"

I shrugged. "No clue, but technically I'm imported from America."

He sighed. "Great..."

Yukari wouldn't stop hassling Hamuko about the 'Battle Panties' as she called the outfit, so just to get her to stop I asked Hamuko to wear my coat at least till we were back at the dorm so she could actually get changed. Of course the trek through the Greek Tower of Doom that is oddly in Japan came to a halt when we found another wall blocking our path.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until the next morning I even remembered to get my jacket back, so I headed up to the third floor after I had breakfast and all that morning routine stuff. Lucky for me it was Sunday.<p>

I knocked on the door a few times once I was up there. "Hey, Hamuko-san! It's Roy."

No answer, so I knocked again. Harder this time.

"Hamuko-san!"

I heard some shuffling, then the door opened.

"Ah, sorry Roy-kun!" she apologized, holding my coat out to me. "I didn't hear you!"

"It's fine." I said as I took my coat. "Listening to music with your headphones on, I assume?"

She shook her head. "No, I was watching Digimon."

I blinked. "...Which season?"

"The first." She replied. "I'm gonna marathon through all of the ones I have on DVD every Sunday for the next few weeks."

"Mind if I join you?"

Her eyes lit up in surprise. "You're a fan?"

"Well yeah, it's freaking Digimon! Digimon is glorious!"

She opened the door and pointed at the chair by her desk. "Sit. Now."

* * *

><p>I think we went through about... eh, half of the first season before we called it a good enough place to stop.<p>

"Ahh, that was pretty great, wasn't it? It's kinda weird how the quality in episode twenty-one is a lot better than the rest of the season." She commented idly, as she hugged her pillow. "Mm, it's kind of nice. I haven't watched this with anyone since I was little."

"You watched it when it first aired?"

"Of course I did! With my older brother, duh." she answered, before casting her gaze away. "... Back then when my family felt more like a real family."

Hoo boy. "Parents argue?"

Hamuko shook her head. "No, they're just always busy."

"What about your brother?"

"He's overseas studying." she sighed. "He still talks to me a lot, though. He's such a hermit I wouldn't be surprised if he stays up just to talk to me. I almost never saw him leave the house, let alone his room, when we were kids!"

"Ha! What's he like?"

"A little taller then me, his hair's more like our mom's, and almost lazier then a brick wall sometimes." she giggled. "He's really nice at heart, though. And seems to attract women like bees to honey."

"Like Akihiko-san?"

"Worse."

I whistled. "Damn. That's gotta be inconvenient."

"He doesn't care." said Hamuko. "His typical response to everything is basically 'Whatever'."

"Sounds like a riot at parties."

"Now you're just quoting me!" Pharos joked.

-Hush please, Pharos.-

"He was." she said, smiling sadly. "I miss him, though..."

"I kinda know the feeling." I said. "I miss a few friends of mine from back in Seattle."

She gave me a curious look. "What about your parents?"

I twitched. "...They passed away ten years ago."

"Oh..." She hugged her pillow tighter. "I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. Can't blame you if you didn't know, now can I?"

"True..."

I patted her on the shoulder. "So don't sweat it. I've got thick skin for that sort of thing anyways. Only thing that bugs me is people like those thugs calling me 'gaijin'."

"Oh so that's why you looked so mad then..." she said. "Can't say I blame you either. If it'd been me I would've hit them as well."

"I could see that." I said in unison with Pharos.

"Well I'm sure you could." Hamuko stated matter-of-factly. "It's just how I am."

I laughed. "Well if there's one thing I'm sure of it's that you have no shame. Especially not after that whole thing last night with that armor you found."

"What is this 'shame' you speak of?" she asked. "Clearly it's not something I have."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to make a Persona of the Fortune Arcana..._

-Weird ass timing you've got there, spooky voices...-

"By the way, what's your middle name?"

-...Crap.- "I was hoping you forgot about that..."

"Nope!" She said with a huge smile. "So what is it?"

"I'm curious too..." added Pharos.

-Oh you just stay out of this ya little twerp.-

"Can't make me."

-Damn it... Fine.- "It's Lawrence."

Hamuko looked at me oddly. "Lawrence?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Roy Lawrence Fortune. Happy now?"

She giggled. "That's awesome!"

"How is it awesome?!" I asked. "I mean sure, it was my grandfather's name, but still!"

"It's awesome because it is, okay?"

I sighed. "At least you're not going on and on about the pun..."

"Royal Fortune?"

-Pharos you do not know how glad I am she can't-

"Pun...? Roy L..." Her eyes lit up. "Royal Fortune?"

"Oh god damn it..."

Hamuko started giggling again.

-Sigh.- "Just don't go spreading it around, okay?"

She gave me a mock pouting look. "Fiiiiiine..."

"I mean it, Hamuko-san."

She laughed. "I know! And just Hamuko is fine."

"Alrighty then."

* * *

><p>Nothing much else happened for the rest of the day, but I met up with Yukari at the station on the way to school on Monday.<p>

"Mornin'... Ya know, in about a week, there'll be another mission..."

"Gonna be weird one, that's for sure."

Yukari looked at me funny. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know how the Lost have been turning up in pairs?"

"Yeah..."

"That's not what Heirophant is about, upright or reversed. Lovers deals with pairs, and is right after Heirophant."

"Wait, so there's gonna be two of them again?"

"Seems likely." I said. "Probably wanna be careful..."

Yukari nodded. "Mmhm..."

"Something up?" I asked, noting the odd look on her face.

"...Well, I'm kinda wondering what we're gonna do after we defeat the last eight Shadows..." she said. "I've been thinking about this for a while. I still wonder if Mitsuru-senpai is hiding something from us..."

I hummed quietly. "Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there. She seems kinda guarded about a lot of things..."

"Well so are you, Roy." commented Pharos.

-That is an entirely different matter.-

"If you say so..."

"What do you think we should do, Roy-kun?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I dunno. Ask somebody else for help? I mean, Fuuka-san is always on a laptop so maybe she knows some stuff about computers?"

"Huh... yeah, I'll see about that! Thanks!"

"Anytime."

* * *

><p>The day proceeded as normal till about... eh, I think a half hour after I got back to the dorm? That's when somethin' unexpected happened. It started with a knock at the door...<p>

"A visitor...?" Fuuka seemed to ask nobody in particular.

"Who is that guy?" asked Junpei as he tried to peek out the window. "Never seen him before..."

Eh? "What's he look like?"

"Uh... kinda tall, brown hair, looks like he just rolled out of bed..."

-...Oh there is no way he is actually here.- "I'll get the door then."

So I got up and opened the door, and low and behold a familiar face staring at me with a big grin plastered on his mug. About my height, a mop of shaggy brown hair on his head, blue-lensed sunglasses on his face and almost obscuring his green eyes, a loose fitting blue shirt under an icy gray button-up shirt that was naturally unbuttoned, a sweatshirt tied around his waist, jeans on his legs, and black shoes.

My jaw hung open for a second before I actually managed to say anything. "Tracey?"

"Roy!" He practically bellowed in English as he slammed his hand down on my shoulder. "Good ta' see ya!"

I laughed and lightly punched him in the ribs. "Dude! Zoe said you were outta town, but what're you doin' in Japan?"

"Ah, you know how it goes." He said. "Gotta keep an eye on Nathan because of all those reasons and such on my contract."

"Oh yeah, he came by the other day or somethin' and he was lookin' for me. Something happen?"

Tracey laughed. "What, he's gotta have a reason to check on the son of one of his best friends?"

I gave him a look.

"Oh don't give me that, he just wanted to check on ya. Why do you think I'm here?"

"He gave you the day off?"

"PFFT as if! We're talking about the same Nathan Zahama, right?"

"Ano, Roy-san...?"

Oh right whoops "Oh, uh, sorry guys." I turned towards everyone gathered in the dorm lounge staring at me and Tracey. "This is Tracey Carlson, a good friend of mine. His Japanese isn't the best so cut him a little slack."

"Pleased to meet you." He said, actually managing to not mangle the words despite his thick accent. "I apologize for speaking incorrectly."

"You said 'speaking incorrectly' instead of 'saying anything wrong'."

Tracey sighed. "God damn it..."

"Well hey, nice ta' meet ya, Tracey-san!" said Junpei, a big grin on his face as he walked over and held out a hand. "A pal of Roy's is a pal of mine!"

Tracey shook Junpei's hand and looked at me. "He said I'm a friend of his cos I'm your friend, right?"

"Yep. Nathan's been drilling Rosetta Stone into your head, hasn't he?"

"Almost religiously."

I winced. "Ouch."

"At least it works..."

"Anyways, introductions!" I said as Junpei stepped back. "Tall, dark, and awesome here is Junpei Iori."

The man himself grinned.

"Over there with the laptop is Fuuka Yamagishi..."

"Nice to meet you, Carlson-san." She said politely, though she seemed nervous.

"Mr. Social there in the back is Shinjiro Aragaki."

A grunt was all the reply we got from him as he sort of loomed over by the emergency exit.

"The two over at the table eating everything are, from left to right, Hamuko Arisato and Akihiko Sanada."

The two of them sort of waved over at Tracey and me before resuming their snacking.

"Cripes, how much does that girl eat?"

"Lots." She said in English. "My favorite things are cooking, eating, and stuffed animals."

Tracey laughed. "She sounds like Zoe and Rick's little sister."

"Eh, Alison is more devious than she is." I said with a shrug, then I looked around. "Hey, is Mitsuru-senpai back yet?"

"Is something wrong, Fortune?"

I turned my head and Mitsuru was walking down the stairs towards us.

"Speak of the Devil and he shall appear..." Pharos commented with a chuckle from his perch on the sign-in counter.

"A visitor?" she asked.

"Yeah. This is my friend Tracey Carlson." I said. "Tracey, this is Mitsuru Kirijo."

"Kirijo?" he asked. "As in the Kirijo Group? Dang Roy, you sure know how to make friends... Then again-"

-Oh lord...- "Don't start."

Mitsuru seemed both on edge and confused. "What is he talking about, Fortune?"

-Sigh.- "Nothing. It's no-"

"Oh, right, you don't like to brag." Tracey said, slapping his palm over his face. "Sorry man..."

"Roy-kun?" asked Hamuko with a rather intently focus expression. "What's going on?"

-Well fuck, Hamuko's interested so I'm gonna have to blurt this out eventually!- "I'm kinda sorta filthy stinking rich."

That dropped a few jaws. Or at least the ones belonging to Junpei, Hamuko, Fuuka, and surprisingly Akihiko. Shinjiro looked vaguely more interested in things now from his little corner in the back, too.

"What?" I asked. "Is it bad I don't like gloating about my family being wealthy?"

"DUDE!" Junpei shouted, practically hopping over the couch to grab both my shoulders. "You're rich?"

"No you cannot borrow a few thousand Yen."

He scoffed. "Dude, I was gonna ask for a Playstation Three."

"Still no."

"Darn..."

"But yeah." I said, backing away from Junpei. "Dad started up a big research company back home and managed to hit it big. Like, almost Kirijo Group big."

Akihiko looked at Mitsuru, then at me. "You don't act like you're from a rich family..."

"Well that's because due to one unfortunate accident about ten years ago, I was raised by my Uncle." I said. "I went to normal schools, not the special upper-crust sort of stuff. Then again, it was what my parents had planned before the accident. I mean, sure, fancy education would be nice and all, but my dad damn near crawled out of the gutter to get to where he was. Mom less so, but she was from a rural town here in Japan."

"Actually, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask you." said Yukari. "What kind of last name is 'Fortune' anyways?"

I laughed. "Oh, that. Well, apparently one of my ancestors was one of those 'No last name' kind of prospector guys from the California Gold Rush in America. He just sorta settled on using 'Fortune' after he managed to, y'know, find some gold and settle down with a family. I'm not entirely sure how it's managed to stick over the years."

"What the hell kind of moron names themself 'Fortune'?" asked Shinjiro, the first word he'd uttered since Tracey had shown up.

"The kind I'm descended from? And dude, when you wrestle a grizzly bear and live to tell the tale you earn the right to call yourself whatever the hell you want."

Akihiko almost choked on what he was eating. "A grizzly bear?"

I nodded. "Yep. Killed it with his bare hands, got his picture taken, and made a hat out of it. I've seen the picture and worn the hat. It was comfy as hell... Stop staring at me like that, you all know I'm completely out of my mind at this point. It HAD to come from somewhere, after all!"

Akihiko stared at me quietly for a moment, then he got this crazy sort of look in his eye. "His bare hands, huh...?"

"Aki, that is without a doubt the dumbest damn thing I've ever heard you consider." said Shinjiro.

"I'm willing to second him on that." I added. "Great Granddad Sam only beat that bear because he was simply too stubborn to let some punk grizzly ambush and eat him."

"I'd ask how stubborn he was, but you just described it..." commented Junpei. "Sure explains where you get that from, too."

I nodded. "Mmhm. Stubborn as an ox and damn near as strong. But I think that's enough Fortune Family History for now." I swiveled around to look at Tracey again. "So, checking on me aside, what brings you and Nathan here to Japan?"

He shrugged. "Business stuff, as usual. Davis figured striking up a partnership with a company on this side of the Pacific wouldn't be too bad of an idea, so he's got me and Nate scouting around for potential business partners."

"Wouldn't it be faster just to look up the companies online?" asked Fuuka.

-...Considering we have an English class at Gekkoukan, I'm only mildly surprised Fuuka can understand the conversation.-

"Roy, I've got the mental image of a guy who looks like you with a beard wrestling a bear stuck in my head." said Pharos. "Nothing surprises me about this conversation now."

"Uh, what'd she say?"

-Right, translation.- "Fuuka-san asked if it would've been faster to just dig up info on potential partners online."

Tracey laughed. "Oh trust me, I suggested the same damn thing but Nathan managed to logic out we'd have to come here to meet with the guys in charge anyways so we're doing research while we're here."

"A sound strategy." Mitsuru commented, a pointed look on her face. "Though you had best do well to make a good impression on potential partners."

He laughed again. "Well this is technically my off day so I'm not dressed to impress, ma'am. That said, if we ever do come knocking at your family's door, we'll be sure not to embarrass anybody." He paused, then checked the watch on his wrist. "Speaking of doors, I need to book it out that one back there. Got an appointment..."

He bowed before he moved towards the door, waving over his shoulder.

"It was nice meeting you all!" He said in Japanese, again managing to not mangle every word despite his accent. "And hey, Roy?"

-Hrm?- "Yeah?"

"Only a week till a full moon, broski!" Tracey said with a grin. "You know what that means!"

-Oh this again- "Yeah yeah, calm down ya bloody werewolf..."

He howled like a wolf, laughing to himself as he walked out the door. I had to chuckle a little myself, I missed having guys like him around on a slightly regular basis. Or at least I did till I noticed the atmosphere in the dorm had turned slightly more serious.

"...Only a week till the next Operation, huh...?" said Akihiko, a surprisingly contemplative expression on his face. "That'd mean it's on the Seventh... Guess that makes it a Star Festival special bout..."

"We gotta fight Shadows on Tanabata?" asked Junpei. "Geez, is it too much to ask for them to pick regular, not-holiday times to show up to ruin everything?"

"Would you rather fight them in broad daylight?"

Junpei actually paused to consider that before answering. "...Eh, you got a point there. Guess I'll just have to deal with it."

"Mmhm."

* * *

><p>I found myself with a lot of time to kill for the rest of the afternoon once all that was settled, so I just headed to my room to work on my homework and maybe surf the internet. I looked at the icon for Innocent Sin Online on my desktop and figured it couldn't hurt to play. Working on composition stuff from Toriumi's class anyhow. Surprisingly Maya logged on at the same time I did.<p>

[Maya: woah, did u just get here? We signed on the same tiem!]

[Tatsuya: Guess so. Surprised you're online, I check around here every day or so and you only seem to turn up on the weekends.]

Her avatar did a troubled emote. [Maya: eh heh... I had a bad day so I wanted to mayb talk wit u...]

My character shrugged. [Tatsuya: Seems legit to me.]

[Maya: the weathers nice today huh? Let's go outside!] her character readied a spell. [ingame, duh. Traesto!]

And just like that, our characters were teleported outside. I gotta wonder why people stopped playing this game, the graphics are freakin' amazing. Gameplay is fun, too.

[Maya: The air is nice, even tho the world has ended ;P pshyeah right... it's just a game... we should go lvl or sumthing]

[Tatsuya: 'Or something' works. You said you wanted to talk, right?]

[Maya: yea... ugh...]

Her character stamped her feet and rustled her own hair.

[Maya: AAARGH!11;alksjf;alskdjfa;slkf i'm so pissed off rite now! Mr. E is such a stupid eh so bee! t(-_-t)]

[Tatsuya: First, you mean 'S.O.B.' right? Second, if he's anything like the classic lit teacher at my school I really don't blame you. I've cleaned gunk off my shoes with more human decency than that guy.]

[Maya: hahahhaaha!1! U get it! Wooo! Tatsuya and maya ftw! XD]

Her character sat down.

[Maya: guess it's a good thing there arnt that many players ne more cos most of em left for the new mmo, CoW. Cos this way we cn talk about personal things rite? XP but I didnt kno u were in high school tatsu!]

[Tatsuya: Well to be fair you never asked.]

[Maya: touche, tatsu. Its funny you said your classic lit teacher is a jerk, Mr. E teaches that and he's got seniority over me...]

-Wait a sec...- [Tatsuya: Wait, if you're a teacher, and Mr. E is a classic lit teacher... do you teach at Gekkoukan High? Cos the classic lit teach I'm talking about is Ekoda...]

Maya didn't respond for about two minutes.

[Maya: omg yur from my school tatsu!1 what class r u in?]

-Well how about that? One of my teachers is a gamer... -[Tatsuya: 2-F. Middle of the room, hard to miss because my hair is visible from space.]

Maya again took a little while to respond.

[Maya: omg ur the new kid in my class omg omg omg omg]

-...Wait what- [Tatsuya: ...Ms. T is that you? If it is I am doing my homework right now I swear I was just checking to see if you were online!]

[Maya: OMG IT IS YOU! OMG u better not tell ne 1 about this!]

[Tatsuya: ...Sensei, who would even believe me? To be honest you never struck me as the gamer type of person until, y'know, just now.]

[Maya: ...rly?]

[Tatsuya: Half of the people in class I actually know are scared of you anyways. Iori especially because he's convinced if he so much as sneezes the wrong way he'll get in trouble.]

[Maya: hey I am not that mean!]

[Tatsuya: Well I've heard a rumor you once slapped Ekoda and that he brings you entire cakes when he has bad news for you.]

[Maya: LOL srsly? That's awesum! Its tru, too. xD]

[Tatsuya: HA! Okay, but don't tell me what happened. It's funnier if I try to imagine what happened then to actually know what it was for real.]

[Maya: lol kk. Omg class is gun b rly awkward tomorrow...]

[Tatsuya: Eh, not really.]

[Maya: ...I told u all kinds of personal stuff tho...]

[Tatsuya: No harm as long as it stays between friends, right? And last I checked there's no rule teachers can't be on good terms with their students.]

[Maya: lol tru... guess it's k then... still feel bad for bitching about stuff to a student, tho...]

[Tatsuya: Better to let it out then keep it bottled up, though. And it is said that to attain greater wisdom of the world you are apart of, you must first look within yourself and see what answers are already within your grasp.]

[Maya: ...u sound like a fortune cookie]

[Tatsuya: More like fortune cake if you have a say in the matter.]

[Maya: omg that is the best idea evur! U get extra credit on tonights assignment for that.]

-Fuck yeah!-

[Maya: but srsly were did that fortune cookie stuff even come from? it was like srsly out of nowhere.]

[Tatsuya: …That is actually a good question. I blame the nurse.]

[Maya: lmao, k. ne way, thx for putting up with me b4 you found out who I was tatsu.]

[Tatsuya: Haha, anytime Maya. Should probably pay more attention to my homework now though XD]

[Maya: lol yea. You had better get that done or I'll be very disappointed.]

-Oh shit she typed properly that probably means I'm legitimately doomed if I don't-

**CRASH**

"JESUS FUCK!"

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hermit Arcana..._

-Goddamn fucking spooky voices scaring the shit out of me-

[Maya: i'll see u at class tomorrow tatsu, I got stuff I need 2 do. And don't mention that 'SOB' stuff, k?]

[Tatsuya: I won't, Ms. T. See ya later.]

[System: Player Maya has logged off.]

No sooner had I logged out of ISO did Skype pop up telling me someone was talking to me. My cousin Alex it be exact.

[Aldosk: So what's this I hear from Zoe about you being bullshit magical all of a sudden?]

[ArcanaGambler: Oh geez, she actually told people about that shit?]

[Aldosk: Is it true or not?]

[ArcanaGambler: Well yeah. Since when did you believe me anyways?]

[Aldosk: Since I heard you apparently shoot yourself in the head with a magic pistol.]

-Oh. Shit. This can of worms again...- [ArcanaGambler: I'm not gonna die or anything if that's what you're worried about.]

[Aldosk: How is magically blowing your brains out not something to worry about?]

[ArcanaGambler: Well there's not actual brain damage involved for one because it's technically to summon psychic demons from my soul...]

[Aldosk: What about damage to your soul, then? What if you try to summon one of those soul demons and you just keel over because your spirit looks like swiss cheese?]

"He does make a good point, Roy." noted Pharos. "Do you even know how evokers work?"

"No, I don't... hrm..." [ArcanaGambler: ...Alright, will it make you feel better if I ask Mitsuru-senpai how the pistols work?]

[Aldosk: Who's that?]

[ArcanaGambler: The one who recruited me into the demon slayers club. Her company made the pistols so she's gotta know something about the damn things.]

[Aldosk: Alright. Seems fair. Just be careful with whatever the hell it is you're doing...]

[ArcanaGambler: Avenging your aunt and uncle.]

[Aldosk: The hell are you talking about?]

[ArcanaGambler: Zoe mentioned the Dark Hour, right?]

[Aldosk: Yeah...]

[ArcanaGambler: That's why they died. The night of the accident, they were pulled into the Dark Hour along with me. They bled out for potentially thirty or more minutes before paramedics even knew there was an accident. From what I've heard from the people here in the time I've known them, a few have had Dark Hour-related troubles of their own.]

[Aldosk: I'd ask what kinds, but it doesn't seem like my place to know.]

[ArcanaGambler: Or my place to tell them anyways. But finding out second hand about the cluster fuck my life's spiraled into aside, what've you been up to?]

[Aldosk: Same as always. Mom and Dad still make me gag sometimes.]

[ArcanaGambler: They're still going all lubby dubby? STILL?]

[Aldosk: Oh, like you wouldn't believe. It's aggravating as hell...]

[ArcanaGambler: Better than before, though.]

[Aldosk: ...Yeah. Very true.]

[ArcanaGambler: ...Sorry.]

[Aldosk: It's fine... I need to get going anyways. Later Roy.]

I sighed to myself as he logged off, then looked at my homework.

-...Ain't gonna finish itself, I guess...-

"Roy?"

"Yeah Pharos?"

"You okay?"

"...Not really."

"...Wanna talk about it?"

"...Sure. Why not. Gives me somethin' to do while I'm working on this..."

* * *

><p>Spent the next few hours telling Pharos a story about Alex's little brother, Cody. Won't bore whoever's actually reading this journal with the details, but suffice to say it's not a happy story. The next day wasn't anything special, though Toriumi-sensei seemed to be judging me the entire time she was teaching. Had another surprise waiting for me after class, though.<p>

"Hey! Roy-kun!"

I stopped in my tracks, swiveling around on my heels to face Hamuko. "Yes, Hamuko?"

"Hey, are you doing anything today?" she asked. "I need a little help..."

Eyebrow. "Help with what?"

"Ah! Hamuko-san!"

The two of us turned towards Fuuka, who was walking over to us from her classroom.

"Are you coming to club today?" she asked curiously.

Eyebrow the second. "What club?"

"Cooking club!"

Pharos cringed. "Oh god..."

-That is not even remotely nice, bro.-

"Roy, your face almost turned blue after you tried that bento Fuuka made!"

-That was then and this is now so hush.- "Cooking club, huh? Well, I get the munchies after class so would you be opposed to me joining you two?"

Hamuko looked at me. "That's actually what I was gonna ask, Roy-kun."

Fuuka's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas, though. "Really? You'll join the club?"

"Sure, why not?" I said. "I'm not exactly the best, but then again that's all it took to keep my uncle from setting the kitchen on fire. But ignore that, which way to the club room?"

* * *

><p>"...Fuuka-san?"<p>

"Huh? Yes Roy-san?"

"You do realize that's rice vinegar, right?"

"Huh? O-Oh... you're right..."

"Here, gimme that for a second. Lemme show you something."

"A-Ah, n-no, it's alright..."

"There's no shame in asking for help, y'know."

"Yes, but... isn't it better to learn by doing it yourself...?"

"Not always. Besides, what're friends for?"

"Right, Roy!"

"Cool, now can someone hand me a whisk so I can mix th- Ah, thank you Fuuka-san."

"You're welcome!"

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to make a Persona of the Priestess Arcana..._

* * *

><p>Nothing much of anything happened the next day, but then I found something neat when we went to Tartarus that night.<p>

"Shinjiro. Hold onto this."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "...A flower?"

"It's magical."

He raised his eyebrow.

"Oh for cripes sake, one of my personas spat this thing out! It's gotta be magic or some shit."

"Well if it is, then what does it do?" asked Junpei. "I mean, it just looks like a pink flower to me..."

I looked at it. It did seem kinda plain, but I could tell there was SOMETHING going on with it... wait... "Hey, Fuuka-san, can your scanning ability tell what this flower does?"

"I-I don't know..." She said. "I'll try..."

I held up the flower as she summoned Lucia, which reminded me of something I needed to ask about later. It took a few minutes before Fuuka actually said anything.

_{That flower... it wards off Charming effects...}_

"Really?" I asked. "You're sure?"

_{Yes, definitely... if we had more, nobody would have to worry about attacking each other!}_

"I have a cunning plan."

Hamuko gave me a skeptical look. "Cunning?"

"Yeah." I said. "I know which Persona gave me this, and I can get him back to how he was when I got here. Which means I can, y'know, just get a bunch more. Might me faster if I stay down here while you guys go up the higher parts of Tartarus..."

"Do you know how long it will take, Fortune?" asked Mitsuru.

I shrugged. "No clue. But you said there's always an access point on the first floor, so as long as I just kill a Shadow or two, get another flower, bail, reset the Persona, and then go back in, it shouldn't take too long. If it does, then you guys should just go up without me."

Mitsuru stared at me seriously, then nodded. "Alright. Get to work, Fortune. We'll have to test these flowers directly, as well..."

"Then here." I held the flower out to Mitsuru. "Hold onto this one while I go get more."

I span on my heels and started towards the Velvet Room once Mitsuru took the flower.

-This might actually take a little while...-

* * *

><p>Fortunately, it actually didn't and I ended up with a small stockpile of the Narcissus Flowers. It still burnt a big chunk out of the Dark Hour, but these things should help in the long run so it'll be worth it. Training aside, I finally set about keeping my word to Alex.<p>

"Hey, Senpai, I got a question..."

She looked at me as our merry band marched on home. "What is it, Fortune?"

"The evokers... are they even safe?" I asked. "I mean, we're kind of shooting ourselves in the head to summon part of our soul to fight monsters. There gonna be any side-effects from using them?"

Mitsuru actually laughed a little at that. First time I'd ever heard her laugh about anything. "Aragaki asked the same thing when he first joined. You needn't worry, the evokers are completely safe and cause no negative effects. They were tested extensively to ensure that."

Eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded. "Of course. The head researcher insisted on it."

"Huh. Smart guy..."

"Indeed."

* * *

><p>The next couple of days passed by with minimal things happening beyond the norm, though I don't think I've still fully realized just how much Junpei likes Doritos. He did a flying, diving save on a bag he brought with him to lunch that he almost dropped when he tripped on the stairs and landed without a scratch. Pharos is convinced Doritos are the source of his power. Honestly I'm inclined to agree. A day or two before the Full Moon, though, is when somethin' worth talking about happened.<p>

"Senpai~!"

Shinjiro slowly turned his head towards Hamuko. "I told you not to call me that."

"Well, too bad." She replied. "I wanted to know if you'd like to come hang out with me!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You want to hang out... with me?"

"Mmhm!" Hamuko smiled. "I've hung out with almost everyone else at least once, so why not you?"

Shinjiro scoffed. "By that logic, cards for brains over there will start bothering me, too..."

I grinned from my seat on the couch. "Thought you'd never ask."

Shinjiro actually facepalmed. "God damn it..."

"Oh come on man, hanging out with people will not kill you." I said as I stood up. "Besides, if we're gonna be fighting Shadows together it wouldn't hurt to get to know us a little."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. So where did you two have in mind?"

I looked at Hamuko. Hamuko looked at me. We both looked back at Shinjiro.

"Hagakure?"

Cue the three of us, plus Pharos, heading over to Hagakure, though the entire time Shinjiro looked like he was dreading it all. Once we got there, we stat down and ordered before Shinjiro actually said anything.

"Any particular reason you wanted to tag along for this?" he asked, looking at me. "Beyond that crap you were talking about at the dorm?"

I looked at him like he'd asked if I liked kicking puppies. "I like ramen?"

He glared at me, then sighed and shook his head as our food was delivered. "Whatever, let's eat. Watch the soup, it's hot."

"I'm crazy, not dumb." I muttered, blowing on the ramen a little.

"Ow..."

"What's wrong?" asked Hamuko.

Shinjiro was rubbing the side of his face. "...Forgot I had a cut in my mouth 'cause Aki punched me. Sheesh, that guy's gotta learn how frickin' heavy a boxing champ punches..."

"Were you two training?"

He actually laughed at that. "Haha, hell no. I gave him a little 'lecture' on how his fighting style's too reckless after that whole thing with him getting Charmed, and this is what I got in return."

"You two get into fights often?" I asked.

"Yeah. You're gonna have to get used to it."

"Well I've gotten into fights with friends before." I said. "Doesn't seem that unusual to me."

Hamuko puffed out her cheeks slightly. "You shouldn't fight your friend, though!"

"Personalities clash sometimes, Hamuko." I said to her. "Besides, I'm assuming they don't, y'know, go out of there way to beat each other into bloody pulps."

She pouted a little. "Fiiiine..."

Shinjiro looked at me again. "You sure you're not a third year?"

I laughed. "No, I'm just stupidly tall. My seventeenth birthday isn't till January."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "And they put you in charge? Shit, guess we lucked out you're good at it."

I shrugged. "Sometimes ya gotta go through a trial by fire to see what you're good at."

"Guess so."

**CRASH**

-Wait huh?-

_I am thou... thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Moon Arcana..._

-Huh. Interesting...-

"Oww..." He groaned, rubbing his face slightly. "Damn it... this just ain't gonna work... I'll have to wait until it cools down..."

Shinjiro sighed while Hamuko giggled, then looked at him curiously.

"Y'know... I had this happen before..." he said absently. "First time he punched me, I got a cut in my mouth... Couldn't eat for a while because of that."

"When did that happen?" I asked in unison with Hamuko.

He shrugged. "We were kids, I forget why."

"Fair enough, dude."

* * *

><p>Once the Full Moon proper came along, Sketchtsuki turned up at the dorm while we all waited for the Dark Hour. Once it kicked in, Fuuka summoned her Persona and started scanning while the rest of us sat in the command room watching her.<p>

"Any luck, Fuuka?"

_{...Just a moment... I found it! I sense a strong presence!}_

"Hey, we were right!" Junpei cheered.

"Or so it would seem." noted the Chairman.

_{It's located in Iwatodai... inside a building on Shirakawa Boulevard.}_

"Hmm, Shirakawa Boulevard..." repeated Ikutsuki. "They've been finding the Lost in pairs lately... now I understand why."

"In pairs..." Mitsuru's face actually turned red slightly. "Oh, I get it..."

Those reactions told me pretty much everything about this place that I needed to know as Fuuka's Persona vanished.

"Why, what's on Shirakawa Boulevard?" she asked. "I'm not familiar with that area..."

Yukari and Hamuko fidgeted slightly, looking at each other before facing Fuuka again.

"I've heard about it, but..."

"My parents told me to avoid that place because, well..."

I decided to speak up. "It's the red light district, isn't it?"

Everyone instantly turned to look at me.

Eyebrow. "What? You all were dancing around the subject so I wanted to be sure we're all on the same page."

"Well they do got all of _those_ hotels there." said Junpei. "Y'know, the ones where people go to-"

"Nonsense!" Sketchtsuki exclaimed. "They're no different from ordinary hotels. The rooms are a bit fancier, that's all."

There was a very long, very awkward pause after he finished that sentence.

"There was a mistake once while I was booking a trip!" He exclaimed. "Honestly!"

"Suuuuuuure it was..." Pharos commented, shuddering slightly.

"Anywho..." I said. "Anything special about this operation on the part of 'who is fighting the monsters' we all should know about?"

"None that I can think of." replied Mitsuru. "I see no reason to change leaders now, and I want Yamagishi to handle support during the operation."

"Okay, then-"

"Hold on!" said Yukari. "After what happened last time, I want in on the action!"

I blinked. "Oh...kay... I see no problem with that, so let's roll. I'll pick who else'll be tagging along once we get there..."

* * *

><p>Then we got there.<p>

-No way in hell I'll ever hang around this part of town for no good reason. Or ever at all unless someone else brings me here... but whatever!-

"Alrighty then," I span on my heels to look at Fuuka. "Where's this ugly bugger hiding?"

Fuuka pointed at the top of the building we were standing in front of. "It's on the third floor of this building."

I looked up at it, my hand on my chin. "Alright then. Senpai and Akihiko-san! You're coming with us if it's not a problem."

"What about the rest of us?" asked Junpei.

"You guys are plan B." I said. "There's a chance there's two Shadows in there, and if the second one gets the drop on us it's better we have someone who can get the drop on it.

Hamuko nodded slowly. "Okay, but what if there's not another Shadow?"

"Simple!" I grinned. "If the first group to go in isn't enough, then we throw Shinjiro at it so we can be sure it dies."

The man himself raised an eyebrow. "So me being able to kill this thing by myself is your backup plan?"

"Well, not by yourself, since Junpei and Hamuko would be there too..." I said. "But pretty much, yeah. Basically if shit goes wrong, we're counting on you three to be Big Goddamn Heroes."

"I like this plan." said Junpei with a grin.

-Figured you would, bro.- "Okay, with that all settled, in we go!"

* * *

><p>Three floors up, and we found the room. It's a very big room. With a huge mechanical chair in the middle. With a fatass of a Shadow sitting on it. With some weird-ass chick rubbing his shoulders with a crazy headdress on her head.<p>

"Why here, of all places...?" Yukari wondered aloud as she drew back an arrow. "Ugh, let's just get this over with!"

"No argument here!" I agreed, my Evoker at the ready. "Let's rumble!"

_**BANG**_

Pale Rider appeared and let loose a concussive blast of wind from his scythe, causing the Shadow's chair to stagger before Akihiko's lightning attack bounced right back at him.

"Akihiko!"

"Ngh, I'm fine, Mitsuru!" he shouted. "Just don't try to use Electricity on it!"

"Obey my command!" _**BANG**_

Ice spikes jutted out of the ground, stabbing through the legs of the Shadow's Mecha-chair. Finally got a good look at the mask on its face, too. It's the Heirophant, just like we thought it was. Something seemed off about the chick clinging to its back, but I didn't get much time to think on it before lightning bolts started flying everywhere. I focused on Take-Mikazuchi to keep him at the front of my head and kept myself between the electrical strikes and Yukari, seeing as lightning really messes her up.

"Thanks...!"

"No worries." I said as a lightning bolt hit me dead in the face and didn't do anything besides blind me for a few seconds. "Feel free to shoot at it while using me as cover."

_**BANG**_

No sooner had I said that did she do exactly that, summoning Io to launch more tornadoes at the Shadow. The fight kept up like that for a while, me occasionally summoning Take-Mikazuchi to hack at the Shadow's kneecaps while everyone else did the real damage and before long the stupid thing keeled over.

_{Good job. You succeeded once again.}_ said Fuuka over her Persona's Psychic Link thing. _{I'll be waiting outside for you.}_

"Alright, I'll get the-" Akihiko cut himself off when the door refused to budge. "The hell? It's stuck!"

"Move over!" I said, slamming my shoulder into the door once Akihiko was out of the way. "Shit, it is stuck! Fuuka, send in some backup!"

_{Shinjiro-senpai and Hamuko-san already went in to help, but the door suddenly sealed behind them and now Junpei-kun is trapped outside with me! I can't contact them either-}_ Her voice stopped suddenly. _{Wait... I still sense a Shadow in that room! It's not the same one you defeated!}_

"Wait what?"

"Hey, guys...?"

Mitsuru, Akihiko, and I all turned towards Yukari.

"Is it just me..." She began, placing her hand on the mirror she was looking at. The mirror wasn't reflecting her. "Or is there something strange about this mirror?"

"_**You can't escape~"**_

The four of us whirled around as the room started to fill with a bright pink haze. That woman that'd been rubbing the Heirophant's shoulders was floating there and pulling off her headdress, laughing maniacally as everything got really hazy before I just... blacked out.

* * *

><p>"Ugh... my head..." I groaned, sitting up on a bed... somewhere. The fuck kind of place is this...?<p>

"_**Embrace your desire..."**_

I grunted in pain and grabbed my head with both hands. "What the...?"

"_**I am the voice of your inner self... Enjoy the moment... That which cannot be felt is merely a dream... The present is all we have."**_

...Wait, no... that's just... "Bullshit..."

"_**The future is but a fantasy, memory a fabrication... Let your desire free from your shackles... Such is my wish..."**_

"Way to slip up, lady."

"_**What? Interloper! Begone from heAAAAAAAA!"**_

I shook my head and -WOW I feel a lot better now! The hell just happened?-

"I just happened."

I looked up to see Pharos leaning against the closed door to the room. He was grinning.

"Kinda hard to be your inner voice when it sounds like a girl and goes on about 'my wish', isn't it?" he said smugly.

"The hell did you do?"

"I kicked that Shadow out of your head." He told me. "You're lucky you've got someone watching your back."

"Bitchin'. Thanks, Pharos..." I flopped back on the bed. "Ugh, my body still hurts... And you might wanna get outta here in case the Shadow wants to kick your teeth in... and you can tell me how you did that later..."

"Alright, but don't take to long. I think Yukari's in this room, too."

-Wait what?-

No sooner did I look up did I realize someone was in the shower, and that said shower just stopped.

-...Shit.-

And then the door to the bathroom started opening, prompting me to quickly lay my head back down and fake being asleep. I heard her moving through the room, her movements steadily getting closer.

"Hey..." she said in a sultry voice. "You awake? We can't have any fun if you're-OW!"

I mentally smirked as I heard her step back. Little lightning jolt from Take-Mikazuchi when she tried to touch me. Nothing serious.

"Ow, what was... wait..."

I heard her gasp, then scream before running back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I sat up on the bed and grinned slightly.

-Well, at least I'm not gonna die from Yukari shooting me in the head with arrows now!-

_{Oh, I can finally reach you now! Can you two hear me?}_

-Hey, it's Fuuka! Nice timing.- "Yeah, I hear you. What happened?"

_{The Shadow was interfering with your thoughts and you all got separated.}_ she reported. _{The enemy is still in the same room, so you should all regroup and hurry there... did you hear that, Yukari?}_

"Huh? Oh, sorry! Y-Yeah, I heard you...!"

_{Um... did something-}_

"Nah, it's fine. Nothing happened." I lied with a straight face. "Where'd the others end up?"

_{Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai are on the second floor, but I'm still having trouble getting through to Shinjiro-senpai and Hamuko-chan! I think they're on the same floor as the Shadow...}_

"Alright, you should probably come in with Junpei if you can, then."

_{Alright, I will!}_

Yukari stepped out of the bathroom, her face bright red.

"Before you say anything, I saw exactly nothing!" I said. "I saw the bathroom door opening and faked being asleep, then kinda zapped you when you tried to poke my arm."

"...Alright, but you better not tell anyone about this!"

Eyebrow. "Yukari, what're the odds this didn't happen to anyone else? Fuuka just said our Senpai were on the same floor, while Shinjiro and Hamuko are on another." I paused. "Wait shit, we should probably move faster then!"

I charged past her and out the door, running up the stairs to the second floor where Akihiko and Mitsuru were waiting.

"So, you guys were on the first floor, huh?" said Akihiko. "I'm surprised there was another Shadow..."

"Hold that thought Senpai," I said, pointing at his shirt. "Why are there holes in your vest?"

"W-We're fine!" Mitsuru snapped. "Nothing happened!"

-...Kinky.- "Alright, but we need to find Shinjiro and Hamuko. You all check this floor and I'll check the third!"

"Alright!"

I darted off up the stairs to the next floor as everyone else went about searching the rooms for our other two friends. As luck would have it, I ended up being the one to find them on the third floor. But, well...

"Uh, should I come back later?" I asked, staring at Shinjiro and Hamuko about three seconds away from making out.

The two of them looked at me. They then looked at each other. They then looked down at the fact that Shinjiro's shirt was gone and Hamuko's was almost completely unbuttoned.

The brunette let out a shriek, shoved Shinjiro back, then disappeared into the bathroom with whatever clothes had been removed before I showed up. I had to fight the urge to laugh extremely hard, because Shinjiro looked very disgruntled.

"Goddamn piece of shit Shadow..." he snarled, pulling his shirt back on and looking for his coat. "I'm gonna rip its head off..."

"Your axe is by the bed."

"Huh?" he looked at me, then over at the bed. "Oh. Thanks."

"No problem." I replied. "But hey, Fuuka, is there anything else we should know before we go kick more ass?"

_{Yes, the Shadow sealed the door so you can't get in! You'll have to find a way to weaken the seal.}_

I sighed, then looked over at then room's mirror. Shinjiro was standing right infront of it and it wasn't reflecting him. "...Fuuka, is there something up with the mirrors?"

_{Mirrors?}_

"Yeah, the one in here isn't reflecting Shinjiro and he's right next to it..."

_{Wait... That's it! Those mirrors are giving off the same reading as the Shadow! If you break them, the seal should break as well!}_

_**CRASH**_

"That's one." said Shinjiro, withdrawing his axe from the now-destroyed mirror. "Where's the rest?"

_{There's another one on the second floor. Akihiko-senpai found and broke it already, so proceed to the room where the Heirophant was!}_

"Gladly." He snarled, marching past me. I looked over at the bathroom door as it slowly poked open, Hamuko sticking her head out slightly.

"I-Is Shinjiro-senpai gone...?" she asked, her face bright red.

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"Oh..." She looked disappointed. "I wanted to apologize..."

"For screaming?"

"No, for possibly bruising his abs..." She said dreamily, stepping out of the bathroom. "I had no idea he worked out..."

-Well he did have a very **MANLY CHEST **from what I saw, but goddamn I've only seen a girl swoon like that in anime!- "Easy tiger, we've got a Shadow to murder."

Hamuko sighed despondently. "Yeah, yeah..."

I strolled out of the room with Hamuko behind me, meeting up with everyone outside the room the Shadow had been in.

"Everyone ready?" I asked. Nods and some angry grumbling were the response. "Alrighty then!" I kicked open the door. "Rock 'n roll, people!"

"Must you do that, Fortune?"

"Yep!" I said, walking into the room and-

"_**FOOLS!"**_

-The fuck?-

"**You all would spurn me?" **asked the Shadow, now revealing itself as a Succubus-looking creature floating over the large bed in the middle of the room. Its Arcana mask was, naturally, positioned right above the bust line. Because, y'know. Skimpy Villains, Sensible Heroes, and all that jazz."**Me, who only wished to love? To share my love with you all? To release your desires from pointless, self-imposed shackles?"**

At that point, I tuned out the Shadow and rolled my eyes.

-Hey, Fuuka?-

_{H-Huh? What is it, Roy-kun?}_

-Does that Shadow have any resistances to worry about?-

_{Um... It's immune to Light and Darkness, and has no other affinities. Why?}_

-Just wondering.- _**BANG**_

Shade burst forward and slugged the skimpy Shadow in the gut, cutting off its monologue, and following up with a ice-infused punch to the jaw to disorient it.

"**YOU DARE INTERUPT ME? I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!" **It bellowed, only for Castor to be the next thing to crash into it.

"News flash, nobody cares." Shinjiro spat, stalking towards the Shadow as it staggered back to its feet.

"I sure as hell don't!" shouted Yukari, firing an arrow into the Shadow's Shoulder. "I had to come to this disgusting place because of you, and now you're gonna pay!"

Whatever else the Shadow might've said was cut off by Hermes kicking it in the face, sending it sprawling into an ice spike Mitsuru had summoned. Said spike was now going through its torso. The Shadow screeched in pain, louder still once Akihiko decided to electrify it with Polydeuces and Thalia's knives we embedded in its legs. It somehow managed to free itself and suddenly got bigger... and angrier...

"**IMPUTENT MORTALS!"** It roared. "**NOW YOU SHALL DESTROY EACH OTHER!"**

On that last word, a barrage of pink-colored spikes was launched at us. There wasn't any real way to avoid it, so everybody got hit at least twice. It hurt, but that wasn't the most noteworthy thing that happened. It was the fact the pink energy on the spikes flowed into one spot on each of us. Said spot being where everyone kept their Narcissus Flower.

"**What? What is happening?"** the Shadow asked, sounding shaken as everyone got back up. "**You should be killing each other!"**

"How 'bout no, ya crazy brain-eating bitch?" I asked, summoning Pixie to heal everyone. "So step off!"

Before the Shadow could do anything else, both Hermes and Castor hit it like a ton of bricks, the two physical Personae dealing a lot of damage. Hell, Castor took off one of the Lovers' arms. It screamed in agony, only to be silenced by two spires of ice suddenly jutting up and impaling it, one through the chest and the other through the neck. It sputtered and coughed, then dissolved into black mist.

_{You did it! I don't sense the Shadow anymore.}_ Fuuka cheered. _{I'm glad you're all safe.}_

"It seems those flowers Fortune discovered helped a great deal as well..."

I shrugged. "Guess so. I'll be sure to let you guys know if any more of my Personas cough up stuff like that."

"Please do." said Mitsuru as Fuuka entered the room to join us. "And thank you, Yamagishi. The enemy was sly, but you did well."

She smiled nervously. "I did what I could."

"And you too, for withstanding the enemy's mental assault."

I sorta laughed uneasily. "Yeah... I'm not even sure how I did that." -You still got 'splainin' to do, Pharos.-

"I know..." he sighed.

"Well, let's call it a night." said Akihiko, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm beat and don't really wanna be sticking around here when the Dark Hour ends."

"My thoughts exactly..." commented Shinjiro as everyone started filing out the door.

* * *

><p>Once we got outside, I patted Junpei on the shoulder.<p>

"Good work back there, bro." I said. "Guess the Big Damn Hero job suits ya, doesn't it?"

He grinned. "Haha, damn straight it does!"

"That's why you're the Lancer, bro." I smirked, putting my hands in my coat pockets. "But damn, I'm sore all over..."

"Yeah, same here..." Junpei griped. "Those spike thing sit shot at us hurt..."

**CRASH**

-SHIT FUCKING SON OF A BITCH I hate it when these things do that!-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

-Fool? Goddamn, I haven't heard from that Social Link in a while...-

"Oh, Yukari. About that thing you mentioned the other day..."

I looked over my shoulder at Yukari and Fuuka.

"You found out something?" she asked, getting a nod in response. "Cool, tell me later."

"What's this all about?" I asked while Junpei started talking to Hamuko about something. "Anything I should know?"

Yukari and Fuuka looked at me.

"Um..." Yukari hesitated, then shook her head. "I guess there's no harm telling you. I asked Fuuka for some help."

"With what?"

"She asked me to help find out some information about an accident at our school ten years ago." said Fuuka. "I was going to share what I found out with her tomorrow..."

I put my hand on my chin. "Is it related to that thing you were talking to me about the other day? About Tartarus and stuff?"

Yukari nodded. "I think so, but I'm gonna check everything before I jump to any conclusions."

"Good plan. And would you be opposed to filling me in on this?" I asked. "I'm wondering a few things myself, honestly."

"I don't really see a problem with it, so sure." she said. "But c'mon, let's get going..."

"Alright, cool." I said, looking up as we picked up the pace a little. When I did, though, I spotted something standing on top of a building nearby. When I stopped to try and get a better look, whatever was up there moved away.

-...Pharos, did you see that?-

"See what?"

-There was something on that building...-

"Oh, you spotted them too? I saw them when I came out earlier. I was gonna tell you about 'em in the morning..."

"Hey, Roy! Let's go man!"

I hurriedly caught back up to the group, hanging around the back once Junpei called out to me. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

-But what'd you mean by 'them'?-

"It was a group of people, I think. Three at most."

-People? In the Dark Hour?-

"I think so. If not, it's an odd group of Shadows."

-Hrm... better be careful then, lil' buddy.-

"Yeah, we should."

* * *

><p>Author Notes - Sorry this took so long, but I had a very hard time motivating myself for this chapter and I'm not entirely sure why. It might be because the July full moon is my least favorite, BUT OH WELL! We're almost to Yakushima again! YOU ALL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS~! And for those of you who don't or just didn't read the original, I have a question for you:<p>

Why is the rum gone?


	9. Pirates of Yakushima Reshuffled

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner, GO!

**P.T. Piranha - **Sometimes there's no Rhyme or reason to the titles. I just put them in cuz they're kinda catchy. And yeah, I work quick on things. Hell, if you hadn't wanted a bit of back and forth after you looked over this chapter, it'd probably have been posted yesterday.

**Astrih Konnash** - Yeah, that boss battle was fun. Personally I think the story actually gets going after that one, which is probably why I managed to finish this chapter so quickly!

**KingofZeroX** - I GUESS THE HEART OF PIRATE MAN-THULHU! But hey, glad to hear you like my story!

**Overlord Duelist** - Perhaps so, but to each their own I suppose.

ALSO A BONUS ALERT: There's a TV Tropes page for AFNF! Link on my profile, add to it if you feel like it(I'll stop putting this in the pre-chapter bit after Chapter 10). Also, I'd like to thank **P.T. Piranha** for Beta Editing this chapter for me! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"Good morning."<p>

"Mornin' Pharos." I yawned as I rolled out of bed. "Anything crazy happen while I was unconscious? Alien invasion or something like that?"

He laughed. "No, I was just thinking about things." He swayed back and forth on my chair. "It's been a long time since we first met, hasn't it? Time passes so quickly..."

"And it delivers us all to the same end."

Pharos laughed again. "I'm surprised you remember that. And if it's alright with you, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot." I said, stretching my arms over my head.

"What do you think of your life as a Persona-user?"

I thought about it for a minute. "It's... different, honestly. And as neat as it all is, I still get this feeling... like, I dunno... something's missing..."

"I wonder what..." He said with a curious hum. "I hope you find it soon."

I smiled. "Thanks, Pharos."

"Oh, and I remember something else about the coming of the end." He stated, hopping off my chair and standing up. "It all goes back to an occurrence that took place many years ago... Ten years ago, if I remember correctly." He frowned. "Hey, didn't your parents pass away about ten years ago?"

"Yeah..." I replied. "And Yukari said she was looking into an accident from around the same time. Weird coincidence, with that timing..."

"Indeed..." Pharos agreed. "And did you know a Persona is like a mirror?"

Eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded. "Mmhm. It means a Persona-user can never escape from their true self."

"Huh..." I said, tapping my chin. "Well that might explain why Shade keeps changing, although that actually seems to be timed by bonds I make."

"It does, doesn't it?" he asked. "Regardless, I will stay with you." He smiled. "We are friends after all."

I smiled back. "Thanks lil' buddy."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have out blessing when though choosest to create a Persona of the Death Arcana..._

-Cool story, bro.- "By the way..."

"Well, I am connected to you, Roy." He said, cutting me off before I could ask how he saved me from the Shadow last night. "So I kicked that Shadow out of your head since you technically have the benefit of another mind next to yours."

"Huh... Cool. Thanks again for that, by the way."

"You're welcome."

* * *

><p>Once school happened and all that jazz, I headed over to Bookworms. Been helping the kind old folks who run the place with a little problem concerning a tree at Gekkoukan. It was part of that thing I mentioned to Junpei way back during his turn working on this... Hrm. Speaking of which, I need to ask someone else to help with this sometime soon... Anyways, talking with old people!<p>

"Please... wait a little longer..." muttered Bunkichi, who appeared to be sleeping on the job when I walked in.

"Hello?"

The old man snorted as he woke up, his head swinging back and forth quickly before he noticed me. "Oh, Roy-chan! I didn't hear you come in!"

"You were asleep Bunkichi-san, so I'm not surprised." I laughed. "So how've things been working out with the tree your son's class planted?"

"Oh, wonderfully!" he replied with a big grin. "Mitsuko and I went to the school yesterday and told them where we'd like the tree replanted."

"Really? Where'd you two choose?"

"The hill overlooking the school." answered Mitsuko as she stepped out from the back room of the store. "That way it will be as if our son is still watching the place he loved so much."

I smiled. "That's great!"

"And it's you who made it possible!" Bunkichi said proudly. "I pray more kind students like you will graduate from Gekkoukan. You've been a huge help, going to your student council president with our problem."

"Aw, now you're embarrassing me!" I replied, waving my hand dismissively. "I'm just a helpful guy is all."

Mitsuko smiled. "Such a modest young man. You're much kinder then you give yourself credit for."

"Heheh, thank you..."

"Here, please take this." said Bunkichi, holding out a round fruit. "It's the first fruit produced by the persimmon tree... A little rough around the edges, like our son..."

I gladly accepted the gift. "Thanks."

"I felt you should be the one to have it." stated Mitsuko. "As a way of saying thank you for all your help."

"C'mon, cut it out with the compliments!" I said, rubbing the back of my head. -Ah shit, I'm blushing too... stupid embarrassment...-

**CRASH**

-WHOA what?-

_Thou art I... And I am thou..._

-Huh?-

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Hierophant Arcana hath been set free..._

-The what?-

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Kohryu, the Ultimate Form of the Hierophant Arcana..._

-...I have no idea what that all means but it sounds like it's REALLY GOOD!-

"Ah, just take the compliment and run along, Roy-chan!" Bunkichi said with a laugh. "You probably have friends waiting for you anyways, don't you?"

I shrugged. "Not really, I mean I think they're not even back at the dorm yet..."

"Well, then you should go wait for them." insisted Mitsuko, stepping around the counter and lightly shoving me towards the door. "It would be rude of us to keep you here for too long."

"Haha, alright, alright..." I laughed, starting towards the door. "I'll come talk to you both again sometime! Later days!"

* * *

><p>I was kinda confused just what the hell happened back there with the Social Link, but I guess it maybe won't get any stronger than it is now. I'm not sure and I really don't wanna waste too much time thinking about it. So I just went back and to go and talk to Yukari and Fuuka. They shared some interesting stuff that'll come up later in this entry, so I'll just save it till then. Friday I went to check on Hidetoshi at Student Council. Kinda been slacking on that a little bit, so I figured I should pick up the pace.<p>

When I got there, though, he was alone in the Council Room.

"Sorry, it was a quick meeting. Everyone left already." He smirked. "It's actually kind of nice not having those hyenas around."

Eyebrow. "And you're not going home yet?"

Hidetoshi shook his head. "No, there's something I want to take care of before I go home... I still don't have any leads on the cigarette butt case..." He sighed. "But as you can see, the meeting's over, so you can leave if you want."

"Nah, I'll stick around." I said, sitting down on one of the chairs. "I got some time to kill anyways."

He seemed happy with that. "Well, since you're here, I'd like you to listen to a story of mine."

"Sure."

Hidetoshi turned away from me and looked out the window. "...A man without position, honor, or education... what can he cling to as he struggles through life? 'Sincerity', a man once told me." He looked over his shoulder at me. "Do you want to know what happened to that man?"

"I'm going to guess it was something horribly ironic considering he was the one to tell you about sincerity." I said.

Hidetoshi nodded. "You're right. He is in jail for perjury after a TV anchorwoman was injured on the job and he was made a scapegoat by the TV Station." He turned around completely to face me. "In today's society, the weak are preyed upon by the strong. You can't survive on sincerity alone!"

"And what about you?"

He smiled. "Me? Honestly, I'd like to build a corporation where everyone is treated fairly." His smile fell. "But, to do that, I need enough power to make my vision a reality..."

"Then do what you feel is right."

Hidetoshi looked at me oddly. "Pardon?"

"Power without reason is meaningless to a leader, and instead they are seen as a tyrant by those they wish to lead." I said. "Take what you've been doing with the cigarette case for example. You're the authority on it, and you wield it haphazardly. If someone seems suspicious, you instantly pounce like a feral predator without checking the facts. That's not a good example to set for yourself."

He raised an eyebrow. "And what do you think I should do?"

"You've got a good head on your shoulders and an honest heart." I told him. "Think about your actions before you go through with them, and do what seems right rather than what you think will get results. A good leader is an honorable man, not someone who'd throw others into the metaphorical fire for looking at something the wrong way."

Hidetoshi was quiet for a little while, looking like he was mulling over what I said.

"...You make a good argument, Roy-kun." He said. "I'll take your words into consideration."

I smiled. "That's all I ask. Not trying to force you into anything, just speaking my mind."

**CRASH**

-HA! I was expecting it that time!-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Emperor Arcana..._

"Alright." He looked at his watch. "We should be leaving soon, though. Not much of a reason staying at this point."

I shrugged. "Guess so. Catch ya later, Hidetoshi."

* * *

><p>Nothing worth mentioning happened until the eleventh, which was when the Chairman showed up with news. The first part of the meeting was just about what happened on the last operation, though.<p>

"...So, that's what happened on the night of the seventh." Mitsuru finished. "It was a difficult operation."

"I see. They're getting tougher..." Sketchtsuki noted. "But, it's not all bad news. I called today's meeting because-"

"I'm sorry." said Yukari as she suddenly stood up. "Before we go on, I'd like to ask Mitsuru-senpai something."

Mitsuru seemed surprised. "Me...?"

"Since I joined, so many things have happened..." Yukari began. "I went along with it without really understanding what was going on, but now, I need to know. I'm gonna ask you straight out... You've been hiding something from us, haven't you, Senpai? You act like you don't know anything about the Dark Hour and Tartarus, but they're related to that accident ten years ago, aren't they?"

"What accident...?" asked Junpei.

"There was an explosion near out school, and a lot of people died." said Yukari. "It must've been big news back then. You know about it, don't you?"

Mitsuru hesitated before answering. "...Yes."

"Luckily, no students where injured. But..." her eyes darted around to everyone in the room. "Around the same time, a large number of students were recorded as absent. Seems like more than just a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" asked both Hamuko and Mitsuru at the same time.

"I dug up some old school records, and found something interesting." Yukari continued. "The students who were absent... they all collapsed suddenly, and had to be hospitalized. Sound familiar? You know, like the girls who bullied Fuuka."

I started really focusing on Mitsuru. She was doing her best to keep a stoic expression, but I could see her biting her lip.

"There has to be an explanation! What really happened on the day of that accident?" asked Yukari, her voice rising in volume. "The Kirijo Group built our school, so you must know something! Tell us the truth!"

"...I wasn't trying to hide anything from you." said Mitsuru. "It just never seemed relevant. But..."

Ikutsuki seemed to notice Mitsuru was bothered by this. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

She looked at him, then sighed before turning back to the rest of us. "...Alright. I'll tell you the whole story. The Shadows have many mysterious abilities. Some research indicates that they can even affect time and space. We think of them as our enemies, but what if we could somehow use them to our advantage? They would be a source of unimaginable power, wouldn't they?"

"I hate to interrupt, but that line of thinking is just asking for trouble in my opinion." I said. "Who thought it was a good idea to go for that?" -Clearly they were an idiot.-

Mitsuru hesitated again. "Fourteen years ago, one man pursued that line of thinking... he was the former leader of the Kirijo Group, Kouetsu Kirijo... my grandfather."

-...Well shit, now I feel like an asshole.-

"My grandfather was obsessed with Shadows." she continued. "He wanted to harness their power, and create something extraordinary."

Fuuka swallowed nervously. "Harness their power?"

"He assembled a team of scientists, and over several years collected a significant number of Shadows."

"He what?" sputtered Junpei. "Damn, that's freaking crazy!"

"However... Ten years ago, during the final stages of the experiment, they lost control of the Shadows' power. Consequently, the nature of the world was altered."

Fuuka's eyes widened. "You mean..."

Mitsuru nodded grimly. "Yes... Tartarus and the Dark Hour."

"Wait, hold the phone..." I said, interrupting the story again. "I thought Tartarus was the Shadows' nest. If it was created because science gone wrong blew a hole in reality, then where the hell did those scientists get their grubby hands on Shadows?"

"I don't know." Mitsuru replied. "I only know that among the mass of Shadows collected was a large sample from one exceptionally powerful Shadow that had been encountered, and that said mass of Shadows split into several large ones which then dispersed. These are the Shadows we've been encountering on nights when the moon is full."

"Is that why they've appeared in different places?" asked Fuuka.

"Wait a minute..." Yukari said suddenly. "If what you said is true, then why did our school turn into Tartarus?" It must've struck her a split second later, because she gasped. "...Don't tell me... That's where they conducted the experiment?"

Again, Mitsuru responded with a grim nod. "...Yes."

"Okay, no offense to you or your family intended here, but that is just FUCKED UP!" I exclaimed. "Because if I'm not mistaken, that'd mean those students who ended up in the hospital had..."

"I'm afraid it's just as you're thinking, and no offense taken, Fortune. Neither my father nor myself approve of the actions taken at the time." replied Mitsuru. "But Port Island must have been an ideal location for them. It was a highly-populated area, and the Kirijo Group had influence there. They could do as they pleased... As you guessed, the experiment ten years ago was conducted at Gekkoukan High School."

Yukari started trembling at this point. "...Does that mean... all we've been doing is cleaning up their mess? You lied to us?"

Mitsuru didn't answer.

Yukari turned towards Akihiko. "You knew too, didn't you, Senpai? They've just been using us! Or, do you not care as long as you get to fight?"

"That's not true." he responded sternly. "I have my reasons..."

"And what about you?" She was looking at Shinjiro now. "Did you just not care till that came up and that's why you left? And yet you came back in spite of it?"

"No." he snarled. "Don't assume you know why I left in the first place, Takeba."

"Think what you'd like... It was my decision not to share that information." Mitsuru said, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "I'm sorry. I never intended to deceive you. Convincing you to join SEES was my highest priority. As absurd as it may seem, only we- with our Personas- can fight the Shadows."

"What?" shouted Hamuko. "That's just...!"

Yukari was visibly shaking in anger. "How could you...?"

Mitsuru looked away. "Besides... some of us were never given a choice. I..."

Akihiko shook his head. "Mitsuru... Don't."

"Yukari... it's those in the past who are to blame." said the Chairman. "And they lost their lives as a result of what they did... we're all in the same boat, here; none of us deserve the burden that's been thrust upon us."

Yukari bit her lip. "But..."

"It's been ten years since that incident... No one knows why those Shadows suddenly returned." he continued. "But, since they're active, at least we can find and destroy them... Do you realize what this means?"

Everyone looked at him curiously.

"What if I told you that those twelve Shadows are the cause of everything?" asked Sketchtsuki.

I stared at him. "What."

"Then, if we defeat them all, Tartarus and the Dark Hour will disappear...?"

Ikutsuki beamed. "Exactly! That's what I was going to tell you earlier. See, it's good news, isn't it?"

"Is that true?" Fuuka and Hamuko asked in unison.

The Chairman nodded. "There's evidence to support it. Now, our true battle begins. Regardless of what's happened in the past, we must fight to protect the people. The Shadows are gaining strength. We can't afford to just wait for them, and there are many mysteries still surrounding Tartarus. Why did such a gigantic structure appear in the first place? The answer must lie within."

* * *

><p>The meeting died off after that, with everyone scattering back to their rooms. I sat on my bed, leaning against the wall as Pharos sat on my chair.<p>

"So did all that stuff seem legit to you?" I asked. "Because if twelve Shadows are powering the Dark Hour, you'd think they'd be stronger."

"Well, they could be more like the bolts connecting it." he suggested. "By that logic, break the bolts, and it falls off."

I put my hand on a chain. "Okay, that'd make more sense. Then it's just more durable bolts as we get closer to breaking the last one..." I paused, then looked down at my necklace. "...Bolts..."

Then I took hold of the chain and lifted it up slightly. The darkened bolt hanging from it had a dull sort of shine to it in the light.

"What's that?" asked Pharos.

"...It's from the accident that killed my parents." I said. "When I woke up in the hospital the day after they told me I had a death grip on this thing for some reason and kept saying 'no' when they tried to take it from me even though I was unconscious. When they did finally get it away, they were confused but handed it over to my Uncle Kihei when he came to check on me. He gave it to me, and well... I figured it was important or I wouldn't have held onto it."

"Even though it's just a regular looking bolt?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of been a good luck charm for me ever since then. Guess I'm kinda weird like that, huh?"

Pharos laughed. "Well, it wouldn't be you if you weren't weird in your own way, Roy."

"Heh, guess you're right. Anyways, I'm goin' ta bed. G'night, Pharos."

"Goodnight."

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning and, upon finally going downstairs after I got dressed, found the place empty. Or at least it looked empty.<p>

"Rooooooy-kuuuuuun~!"

I looked over the door of the refrigerator to see Hamuko standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a big grin on her face.

I smirked without even having to guess what was on her mind. "Digimon time?"

"Heck yeah! You making snacks?"

"I was actually getting breakfast, but snacks are fine, too! I think there's a new thing of Oreos somewhere in here..."

"Of course, I bought it."

"...This is part of why you're awesome, Hamuko."

"I know." she laughed.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, and the two of us were up in her room trying to not cry our eyes out because of the ending of Season One of Digimon. It took us a little while to stop bawling.<p>

"I know I've seen it before but..." I sniffled. "That ending still gets to me!"

"I know right?" muttered Hamuko, rubbing her eyes. "Even big bro cried at that..."

"Well who wouldn't after watching the rest of the entire season up till that point?"

She shook her head a little. "No no, he's really stoic is the thing. Him displaying more emotion than 'dull surprise' or 'complete boredom' are rare occasions."

Eyebrow. "Really?"

"Mmhm." she replied with a nod. "The only exceptions where when he was trying to look out for me."

"Like any big brother worth his name would do."

Hamuko giggled. "Yeah, I guess so. He's pretty good with anything roughly the size of a one-handed sword."

Eyebrow again. "He used swords to fight off dudes?"

"Well, only once." she said. "He was picking me up from school after his club let out and he chased off some bullies who were harassing me."

I laughed. "Well if a bored-looking dude was swinging a sword in my general direction, I'd probably run for it as well."

"They had the same idea. But, after that he said I needed to be able to defend myself." said Hamuko, pouting slightly. "So he convinced mom and dad to get me naginata training."

"Really?" I asked in unison with Pharos, even though she can't actually hear the little guy.

She nodded. "Uh-huh. He said it'd be good for me to be able to fight back."

"Shit, your brother must be psychic then or something." I commented, crossing my arms. "Either that or it's just a stupidly lucky coincidence."

Hamuko almost burst out laughing at that, but she stopped herself quickly, simply shaking her head and giggling. "Gotta be that second thing because big bro is too lazy to be psychic."

"I still say he's gotta be at least somewhat magical." I insisted. "If he is, then he's too lazy to realize it or something!"

She legitimately started laughing at that point, doubling over on her bed.

"That is... hahaha- the best thing... I've heard... heehee- all week...!"

**CRASH**

-SON OF A- Damn it, I really need to start getting better about predicting those things!-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana..._

-Yes, good, now go away please.-

Before I could attempt to get Hamuko to stop laughing, my phone went off. I looked at the caller ID and it said 'Velvet Room'.

-The fuck?- "Hello?"

"Hello, this is Elizabeth speaking." came an all-to-familiar voice from the other end of the call. "There is an urgent matter I must speak with you about. Please come to the Velvet Room as soon as possible."

Eyebrow. "Alright, I'll be right over."

"Thank you. Farewell, dear guest."

I frowned as I put my phone away. "The hell's that about...?"

"What's wrong?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. A friend called and said they needed my help with somethin'." I hopped to my feet. "Guess I'll catch ya later, Hamuko."

"Oh, okay. Later Roy!"

* * *

><p>One train ride and walk across most of Port Island later, and I was in the Velvet Room.<p>

"Alright Liz, so what's the big deal?" I asked the very moment I walked into the room. "Something crazy happen?"

She shook her head. "No, I merely have an important request that I require your assistance with as soon as possible."

Eyebrow. "Alright, seems legit. What is it?"

"I would like you to escort me around the Iwatodai Station."

"Okay, fair- Wait what?"

* * *

><p>So I wound up, once again, leading Elizabeth around. At least she didn't make much of a scene on the monorail, not that there was more than three other people on the damn thing. Once we got to the station, I walked down the stairs with Pharos.<p>

"Alright Liz, so what'd you-" I stopped as I turned around, only to discover she wasn't there. "...Liz?"

A second or two after I said that, I saw her walking down the up escalator. She had no trouble with it at all until she stopped... then she walked a bit more and stopped again, but for a lot longer. Then she practically sprinted down the damn thing to reach the bottom.

"Flowing stairs that must be mastered by those who would try to pass..." She commented, sounding out of breath. "So this is an 'escalator'..." Her eyes seemed to sparkle all of a sudden. "It looks simple, but one false step, and challengers will be mired in an exhausting ordeal..."

I sighed. "No, Elizabeth, you just came down the one meant to take you to the top." I pointed at the escalator on the other side of the staircase. "If you'd stood on that one, it'd have just brought you down to the bottom without issue."

As if on cue, an message came over the station's PA to not do exactly what Elizabeth just did.

"Some timing, huh?" asked Pharos.

-Yeah, seriously.-

"I see..." Liz murmured, inspecting the other escalator. "So they can also provide convenience instead of a challenge? Most interesting..."

-Not the way I would put it, but at least she'll know for next time...-

"Ah...! Please watch your step!"

"Eh?"

She pointed past me. "There's a pitfall just ahead."

"Huh? Where?"

She walked past me and stopped next to a fenced-off manhole.

"It's in the center of this fenced-off area." She stated. "It's marked with eye-catching signs, which state in bold print: 'Do Not Enter'!"

"Well, yeah." I said. "It's so people don't accidentally fall in."

Elizabeth looked at me curiously. "But humans frequently crave that which is forbidden to them. Would it not be a more crafty snare to reveal it, rather than follow the common notion that pitfalls must be hidden?"

I shook my head. "No, it's to keep people from falling in. The only sort of people who'd still go into that thing are likely really, really stupid."

"Then it is a means of perpetuating natural selection?"

I couldn't help it, I slapped my hand over my face at that.

"No, Liz, it's not..." I sighed. "It's there to prevent injuries and keep people safe and stuff."

"I see..." Elizabeth said, putting her hand on her chin as if to contemplate. "It seems human authorities have a great deal to contend with in their quest to defend the town's law and order... I'm very moved by their plight."

She span around on her heel all of a sudden, pointing off in the direction she was now facing.

"Let's continue forth, our thoughts dedicated to the unsung heroes who love this town so very much..."

"Does she mean SEES or the police?" asked Pharos.

I shrugged. -I have no idea, lil' buddy.- "Alright then, follow me."

I led Elizabeth away from the station and closer to the Strip Mall. A few steps past where a couple of bikes were hanging up and Elizabeth suddenly stopped, looking towards the Takoyaki stand.

"This fragrant aroma- it can't be...!"

She darted towards it, with me following behind her. I wasn't entirely paying attention to Liz, though, because of a familiar face seated on the bench nearby.

"Hiya Roy-san!" exclaimed Maiko as I approached.

I smiled at the little girl. "Hi Maiko-chan."

"Roy-san?" parroted a dude I somehow failed to notice. He's a skinny dude wearing a striped shirt and looks like he's about ready to start beating down Death's door with a sledgehammer. Y'know, if he could lift the damn thing. "So you're the guy she was talking about. I was wondering what you were like..." Striped Shirt Guy smiled weakly. "Are you 'too old' to play with kids, or are you still young at heart?"

I scoffed. "Young at heart till the day I die, but I just enjoy seeing little kids smile. Didn't know she had another friend, though..."

"Cuisine so luscious that one's cheeks fall off...!"

-Oh god I forgot Elizabeth was here...- "It's not literal, Elizabeth. Figure of speech."

Elizabeth seemed disappointed. "Is that so...? I suppose such a result would cause havoc in reality, but I'd still definitely like to experience this."

She reached for her waist and... -OH GOD NO- "L-Liz, they're not that expensive!" I frantically pulled out my wallet and handed her some money. "Here, I'll pay for a couple orders. No worries, okay?"

Liz seemed surprised by my outburst, but smiled and put her straining to stay closed purse away. "Very well then. I thank you for your generosity."

"Roy-san... who's your friend?"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

-That's right. Maiko's here. With her friend. I now have to explain the inter-dimensional magic elevator attendant with the apparent IQ of a fourth grader to the seven year old sitting less than two feet away. This can only end in disaster.-

"Um..." I began. "This is Elizabeth. She's a friend of mine from out of town."

Maiko's eyes went wide. "Oooooh... where's she from? She's really pretty..."

-...Um...- "Well..."

"Ah... I have to be going now." said Striped Shirt Guy suddenly, slowly rising from his seat. "I'll see you around. Have a nice day, Maiko-chan."

"Bye Striped Shirt!" exclaimed the little girl, waving at him as he walked away. She seemed sad, then looked at me. "He's a silly guy. I've seen him at the shrine on Sundays when I'm on my way to cram school..."

"Master Roy, who is your young associate?"

Looks like Liz has noticed us now. "Oh, this is Maiko-chan. She's a friend of mine."

"A friend?" parroted Elizabeth, then she looked at Maiko. "Ah, I see... the Hanged Man..."

"Elizabeth can sense Arcanas?" asked Pharos.

-Guess so. Doesn't really surprise me.-

Maiko, however, was confused. "Hanged Man? But I'm a little girl..."

"It's not literal, Maiko-chan." I explained. "Liz is just... well, simply put she's a very silly person."

"Oh, okay." said the little girl with a big smile. "Oh, you like the takoyaki here, too?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I have never sampled such a thing before."

Maiko looked confused.

"Sorry, Elizabeth talks kinda fancy. She means she's never tried it."

"Ooooh! Then try some! They're really good!"

Elizabeth handed me one of the orders she bought, then put a piece of takoyaki in her mouth. As she ate it, her eyes seemed to get wider.

"This distinct texture... the firm, chewy outer skin..." She murmured. "There's no doubt about it. I must say, I'm surprised to come across this used as an ingredient in food..."

I was about a split second away from popping a piece of takoyaki into my own mouth when she said that, so I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Come across what?" I asked nervously.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I mustn't say... the chef did state it was the secret ingredient..."

"Aren't those really hot?"

Liz and me looked at Maiko.

"You didn't even blow on it to cool it off!" exclaimed the little girl. "You could burn up! I remember one time Dad burned his mouth on this takoyaki 'cause I put too many in his mouth at once." she made made what I would assume to be her best imitation of her dad's expression. "He was like, 'Fungaaaaah'!"

Liz looked down at her takoyaki. "I see... In my excitement, I hadn't noticed just how frightfully warm they are! I should exercise caution..."

"Mmhm." I said, opting to just eat one of the takoyaki. To hell with the secret ingredient. "Gotta be more careful."

I swallowed the bite, then looked at Maiko. She seemed sad all of a sudden, and now she's really quiet.

"Maiko-chan? I something wrong?"

She fidgeted a little. "...Dad doesn't spend much time at home anymore these days... but, my birthday is really soon..." Her eyes lit up and she looked at me. "Do you think he'll come home for my birthday?"

"Of course!" I said. "Without fail, Parents will be there for a birthday! Especially for their own child!"

Maiko's eyes lit up. "Y-You really think so?"

"Mmhm!"

Elizabeth nodded. "Indeed. It would not be very polite to forget the day of your birth. As I understand it, such an occasion is best to spend with those dear to you."

-...Well I'll be damned, Liz understands birthdays.-

"You learn something new every day." commented Pharos.

"Yeah... but... even though I know Mom will buy me presents, she hasn't asked me what I want yet..." Maiko curled up a little, her expression falling again. "...If they really loved me, then they wouldn't get a divorce." she looked up at me again. "You're the only one who still plays with me, you know."

-...It's like Cody all over again. Damn it... there goes my mood...-

**CRASH**

-This is NOT the goddamn time, spooky voices.-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to-_

-SHUT UP.-

"Oh, yeah..." Maiko hopped to her feet. "Today's laundry day, so I'd better get home soon! If I don't do laundry, the house will be a real big mess! See ya, Roy-san! Bye Lizzie-san!"

Elizabeth blinked in confusion as Maiko left. "...'Lizzie-san'...?"

"She's seven, so pronouncing your name might be hard for her."

"Ah, I see..." she said before popping another piece of takoyaki into her mouth. "In any event, there are many other delicacies I feel I must try..."

-...Wait what?-

"There appear to be several dining establishments around..." Elizabeth stated with a smile. "I wish to try all of them."

-...Okay yeah, she can pay for this. She has that bottomless purse after all.-

Pharos smirked. "What? You're not going to be a gentleman and pay for the lady?"

-That plan went out the window when she said she wanted to visit EVERY RESTURAUNT. My wallet isn't invincible!-

"My first priority is to visit something called a 'manga cafe' and obtain the foodstuff know as a 'smoothie bar'." she said with a whimsical tone. "This 'smoothie bar' allows for an infinite combination of flavors by mixing various ingredients..." She shivered slightly, a grin on her face. "Just thinking about it gives me a sort of electric tingle across my tongue."

-Welp. Good thing I haven't had an actual meal of any sort today. Bottomless Stomach is go!-

* * *

><p>A good while later, and Liz and I were heading back to the station with my mood having managed to recover from earlier. But cripes, where does she PUT IT ALL? She ate more than I did!<p>

"We appear to have exhausted the culinary possibilities in this area." She looked at me. "Oh my... are you feeling well? Now that I think about it, you haven't eaten much since our seventh meal..."

"Yeah, because that's about when I started to get full." I sighed, patting my stomach. "Oh man... I am going to just... pass out when I get back to the dorm..."

Elizabeth giggled. "In any event, I have to thank you for the tasty experience."

I grinned. "You're welcome, Elizabeth."

**CRASH**

-Wait what?-

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

-...What.-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Pierrot Arcana..._

"Pierrot Arcana?" I asked aloud. "What the fuck?"

"Oh my... what an unexpected turn of events..." exclaimed Elizabeth. "It seems my fate and yours are now intertwined, dear guest..."

I looked at her. "So you heard that, too?"

She nodded. "Indeed. I am most surprised, yet my heart feels... gladdened, that such a thing has occurred. How very peculiar..." Liz shook her head. "But, if you don't mind, I'd very much enjoy accompanying you again in the future."

"I don't see a problem with that." I said. "Just lemme know a little more in advance, okay?"

Liz giggled. "Very well then."

* * *

><p>One trip back to the Velvet Room later, and I went back to the dorm to get some rest because food coma. The following day of School was full of some buzz due to finals, though I noticed almost everyone in SEES looked kinda down for some reason or another. Hell, once we all got back to the dorm, there was just this extremely awkward silence in the air of the lounge despite me and Junpei playing video games.<p>

"Um... Y-You know, it's almost summer break." Fuuka said suddenly. "Do you have any plans?"

Junpei sighed, leaning back on the sofa as we waited for a loading screen. "I wish I could go to the beach. Hot sand, cool breeze... babes in bikinis... Man, it sure would be nice! Somewhere in the south, where the water is crystal clear! But first, we have exams to worry about..." He sighed again. "Ugh, what a drag..."

"I know that feel, bro." I said, patting him on the shoulder.

Fuuka giggled. "Now, now. You'll be fine. But yeah, I'd love to go somewhere famous for its beautiful beaches, like Okinawa."

"Well, it's not Okinawa, but how about Yakushima?"

-JESUS FUCK NINJA SKETCHSUKI! Nearly gave me a heart attack!-

"Mr. Chairman..." said Mitsuru. "I didn't realize you were here."

"I happened to be in the area, so I though I'd drop by and tell you my schedule for next week." He replied simply. "Mitsuru, your father will be vacationing in Yakushima during the break."

Her eyes widened by just a fraction. "He will...?"

The Chairman nodded. "You'll all have some time off after exams, right? Why don't you go and pay him a surprise visit?"

"Seriously?" exclaimed Junpei and Hamuko in unison. "We're gonna go on a trip?"

Junpei threw his arms over his head. "YES! Beach babes, here I come!"

"Easy tiger." I said, elbowing him. "Don't go getting ahead of yourself."

"How about it, Mitsuru?"

"But... my father is a busy man; I don't want to ruin his vacation."

I openly laughed at that. "How would a visit from his daughter ruin his vacation? If anything, I'd think it'd make his vacation better!"

"Yes, I agree with him." said Ikutsuki. "No father would be upset with a daughter who came all the way to see him. You've all done a great job and deserve to relax for a while."

"Plus we know when the next big shadow is gonna appear!" said Hamuko. "So no worries about stuff happening while we're gone!"

Mitsuru smiled softly. "...Alright. I guess everyone needs a break now and then. Let's do it."

"Woohoo!" I shouted, along with Junpei, and Hamuko.

"Do you three have some kind of mind sync going?" asked Pharos.

-Hell if I know, but I don't really care!-

"Hm, the beach... I should design a special training regimen."

Shinjiro looked at Akihiko. "Only you would be focused on training while we're supposed to be going on vacation."

"Dude, I'm stoked!" said Junpei, nudging me with his elbow. "And hey, won't this be your first trip to a beach in Japan?"

"Actually, yeah." I replied. "At least the first one I can remember."

"Hey, Fuuka-chan! Are you excited?" asked Hamuko.

The shorter girl nodded. "Yeah, but I have to go buy a swim suit."

"Hey, don't worry, I've got an extra- OW! Roy, what the hell?"

"That is just wrong on every level ever and you know it." I told him.

Hamuko giggled. "Nice try, Junpei-kun."

The whole lounge got really animated at that point. Even Shinjiro, the giant vortex of stoicism that he was, looked like he was enjoying the idea of getting a chance to relax. Yukari and Mitsuru disappeared in all the chatter, though. Wonder what was up with that.

* * *

><p>Five days full of boring exams I'm pretty sure I did fairly well on later, and finals were over. Junpei was, if nothing else, extremely excited.<p>

"I'm done, baby!" he exclaimed, practically jumping to his feet. "The dark days of testing are finally over! The sun is shinin' bright!"

"Amen to that, bro." I sighed. "Even though I studied, this stuff was a pain..."

"So, how'd you do, Junpei?"

"Hey, check it out! I aced P.E.!"

Yukari sighed. "Well, that pretty much answers the question."

"Aw, don't be so harsh, Yukari-chan." commented Hamuko. "Roy and I helped him study!"

"Psh, whatever, Hamu-tan." scoffed Junpei with a dismissive tone. "A real man doesn't dwell on the past. I'm thinking ahead to Yakushima!"

"Oh yeah, that's coming up soon, isn't it...?" asked Yukari before she looked at me. "Are ya ready?"

I laughed. "God no. I only found out about the trip what, five days ago and we've all been busy with finals and studying our asses off so we don't flunk them? I was actually planning on heading to the mall to get what I need today."

Yukari giggled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because I can't be weird in a normal way?" I offered.

She laughed again. "Yeah, sounds about right. I guess I should be more enthusiastic though, huh? And hey, I don't have practice today, so do you mind if I tag along?"

"Sounds good!" said Junpei. "Where we goin'? If you need to buy a swimsuit, I'd be happy to help!"

"In your dreams, Junpei." I said in unison with Yukari. We looked at each other funny for a second, then shrugged.

Hamuko just giggled. "Sorry Junpei-kun, girls only for the swimsuit shopping. You just get to be surprised at the beach~!"

Junpei put his hand on his chin, a very serious, thoughtful look on his face. "...I am completely okay with this. Proceed."

Yukari laughed again. "Ha, alright, gimme a sec. I'm gonna go grab my stuff from the locker room. Oh, I'll invite Fuuka too."

"Hey, the more the merrier!" I said as Yukari left the classroom. "Y'know, we're like the Three Musketeers."

Hamuko and Junpei looked at me.

"The who?" he asked.

"The Three Musketeers." I repeated. "Group of four fictional badasses that were part of a medieval secret service in France."

Junpei gave me a weird look. "How could they be the Three Musketeers if there was four of them?"

"Well, the fourth guy was an admirer of the original trio who managed to join up with them to save they day in one of the early stories." I explained. "That kinda almost fits in with you, me, Yukari, and Hamuko. Hamuko is obviously the badass fourth one who saved our asses."

"Naturally." she said with mock smugness. "Would you be the leader, Roy-kun?"

I laughed. "Probably not."

"No faith in yourself?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I just don't feel cut out for the position. I mean, technically I'm not the one in charge. I just lead you guys around Tartarus while Mitsuru-senpai is the official head honcho."

"Bah, details." scoffed Junpei. "But whatever! Let's get goin'! Don't wanna keep Yuka-tan waitin'!"

With quick statements of agreement, Hamuko and I grabbed out stuff and followed him out of the classroom.

* * *

><p>Somehow on the way out of the building, in addition to Yukari and Fuuka, we added a wild Shinjiro and a wild Akihiko to our merry band. Junpei, Hamuko, and I were naturally the first ones out of the building, darting down the front steps of the school before throwing our arms up.<p>

"Woohooooo!" We shouted. "Freedom at last!"

"Calm down, you lunatics..." sighed Shinjiro.

I immediately span around and pointed at Shinjiro. "YOU CANNOT CALM ME!" I flailed my arms at him a little. "I DO NOT ANSWER TO YOUUUUU!"

-...Now everyone is looking at me funny.- "Sorry. Force of habit from back home."

"Roy that was the single most insane-sounding thing I've ever heard you say." Pharos told me, dryly.

-I've said crazier. Trust me.-

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

-Shut up.-

"Anyways..." said Junpei, trying to change the subject. "Akihiko-san, what're you and Shinjiro-san doing here?"

"Ikutsuki-san called me." replied the boxer. "I think he wants to talk about a new candidate."

Shinjiro looked at his friend. "Another one? Haven't we got enough nutcases under one roof as it is?"

"It's still a maybe about whether or not they'll be joining us." said Akihiko. "So I can't say for sure..."

"Fuuka!"

The lot of us turned around to see that Natsuki girl scurrying towards us.

"What's wrong, Natsuki-chan?" Fuuka asked.

-Oh yeah, Fuuka said something once about her and Natsuki becoming friends. This was almost extremely weird to me.-

"Your attention span worries me sometimes." said Pharos.

-Shush you.-

"Do you think you can stay after school with me for a mandatory study session?" asked Natsuki. "There's, like, no one-" she finally seemed to notice all of us standing nearby. "Oh, you're going back to your 'home' home today, huh? Okay, then nevermind..."

"Hey, wait." said Fuuka before Natsuki could sadly trudge back into the building. "It's alright. Let's go." Fuuka looked back at the rest of us. "Sorry, I'll see you all back at the dorm."

As Fuuka wandered back into the school with Natsuki, Junpei let out a low whistle.

"Y'know, I'm really surprised at how much she's changed since we first met her..." he said somewhat absently.

-...Wait, I hear footsteps...-

"Ah, friendship... how beautiful! Adolescence is such a wonderful thing! So full of vibrancy!"

-HA! Caught you that time, Ninja Sketchtsuki!- "Hey there, Mr. Chairman." I said, turning around. "What brings you all the way here?"

"Oh, hello." he said absently. "I just stopped by to pick someone up. I might as well introduce you to him now."

As if on cue, a kid walked up next to him. Looked about ten or so.

"Hello." he said, a nervous smile on his face.

"Oh, hi, Ken-kun." said Yukari. "What's up?"

That drew everyone's attention to her.

"You know him...?" asked Akihiko.

"He doesn't leave during the break because of his..." Ikutsuki hesitated. "Circumstances."

Yukari flinched. "Oh, I heard about that..."

"Best leave it be, then." I said quickly. "Not really the time or the place to be bringing up what sound like unpleasant memories."

"Yes, indeed." agreed Ikutsuki. "Right now, one of his distant relatives is paying for his school expenses. But, staying at the elementary school dorm all by himself isn't proper for a child his age. So, I decided to move him to your dorm for the summer."

"To _our_ dorm?" sputtered Yukari. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Ikutsuki looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Why, of course. He has the potential."

"What." I said flatly, then I looked at Ken. What I saw worried me.

-...Nemesis. Justice Arcana. Pharos, this kid has a Persona. With a very unpleasant implication because of its mythology.-

"What do you mean?" he asked.

-Nemesis is the Greek Goddess of Revenge. There is something very wrong here.-

"...Yikes..."

"Then, he's the new candidate?" asked Akihiko.

I looked over my shoulder at him. Neither he nor Shinjiro seemed especially thrilled.

"Yes, but as you can see, he's still just an elementary school student." replied Ikutsuki. "So, it's merely a possibility for now."

The two of them seemed even less thrilled after that.

"Um... are you... Sanada-senpai?"

Akihiko's attention shifted to Ken. "Huh? Oh, um... yeah..."

The kid's expression lit up. "I've heard a lot about you. You haven't lost a boxing match yet, right?"

"Yeah..." he replied uneasily. "It's nice to meet you..."

-I do believe Akihiko has a fan who's not a creepy stalker girl. Color me surprised.-

* * *

><p>Akihiko and Shinjiro ditched us while Ikutsuki wandered off with Ken, leaving me with the Power Trio as we headed to the mall.<p>

"Hey, Roy-kun..."

I turned my head. "Yeah, Hamuko?"

"Did something seem kinda... off to you about Ken-kun?"

I blinked. "Something seemed off?"

She nodded. "I can't really tell because he didn't say much, but... he looked kinda sad when Yukari-chan and Ikutsuki-san talked about his circumstances..."

Yukari flinched. "Oh... that... well..." She looked around slightly. "...His parents are gone. I don't know what happened to his dad, but his mom died in an accident two years ago..."

"Oh man..." said Junpei. "That's gotta be rough on the little dude..."

"Really rough." I said. "I mean, his Persona weirds me out."

"You saw his Persona?" asked Yukari.

I nodded. "Yeah. It's Nemesis. That's the Greek Goddess of Revenge."

"Revenge?" sputtered Hamuko. "W-Why would something like that be Ken-kun's Persona?"

"I dunno." I admitted. "But I don't think that's a good sign. If we can, we should try to keep him out of SEES. That kid's got a lot on his mind for someone that young, and I'm kinda worried about that."

Junpei sighed. "Man... now I feel kinda like a jerk."

Eyebrow. "Why?"

He rubbed his neck. "Well... I kinda felt like my life was the pits until SEES happened, so it's easy to forget some people have it worse..."

"It's alright, bro." I said, patting him on the shoulder. "I've done the same thing, honestly." I paused. "Hmm. On that note, I think I'll be devoting some time this summer to hanging out with Ken."

Hamuko looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"Well, he's a kid." I said. "Kids should be having fun, not potentially being kinda mopey about stuff. And really, it won't kill me to hang out with a ten year old. We've got a lot of free time because summer so why the hell not?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" said Junpei. "Speakin' of summer, whaddya think we should do first at Yakushima?"

I almost answered when I heard a familiar song playing from Hamuko's headphones all of a sudden.

"...Hamuko?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that the Pirates of the Caribbean theme I hear?"

She nodded. "Heck yeah."

"...Alrighty then, me hearties..." I said, lapsing into the best possible pirate accent I could pull off in Japanese. "I be havin' a cunning plan. We be needin' a few... things, as it were while we be off makin' purchases..."

Hamuko and Junpei both grinned, while Yukari seemed like she was trying to not laugh.

"Things?" asked Junpei. "What sort of... things ye be referrin' to?"

"Aye, what sort of things, cap'n?" inquired Hamuko.

-This is going to be fucking awesome.-

* * *

><p>One extremely awesome trip to Paulownia Mall and and two days later, and SEES was off to Yakushima in style. I say that because we got picked up by a goddamn limousine to take us to the boat that'd take us to Yakushima. Now, if I was any kind of lame I'd be blasting this song I heard of about being on a boat, but I'm not lame and I have awesome friends with me. If you're reading this and are also awesome, you probably have a good idea where this is going.<p>

"Junpei!" I shouted as I walked onto the deck with a bag full of stuff we got at the mall and a boombox in hand. "It's time!"

"Hell yeah!" he shouted, scurrying over to me and digging through the bag as I set up the boombox.

"What are you two doing?" asked Akihiko.

"Simple, ye landlubber!" replied Junpei, standing up with a pirate hat on his head and a toy cutlass in hand. "We be takin' over this vessel! Right, Cap'n?"

"Aye, that we are, Mr. Iori!" I said, donning my own pirate hat and hitting 'play' on the stereo.

Cue He's a Pirate from _Pirates of the Caribbean_ playing. Loudly.

"Oh, we be startin' already?" asked Hamuko, skipping onto the deck with a mischievous look in her eye. "I be needin' me weapon then!"

"Turn that off." said Akihiko. "It's really loud."

"And take off the stupid hats." added Shinjiro. "You look like morons."

"Nobody tells Captain Roy Fortune what to do!" I shouted. "Ye cowardly landlubbers will walk the plank fer that!"

Akihiko scoffed. "Ha! I'd like to see you try!"

I grinned. "I accept this challenge, ye bilge rat! Have at thee!"

* * *

><p>"ARGH!" <em><strong>CLACK<strong>_

So about ten minutes later, and everyone in SEES was in on the Pirate Shenanigans. Even Pharos had a Pirate hat and I'm not entirely sure where he got it. Meanwhile, Akihiko and I were fighting while Junpei clashed with Shinjiro. Aki had an eyepatch on, Shinjiro had a red and white striped bandana, and the girls were either wearing bandanas or pirate hats.

Speaking of the girls, Fuuka is somehow holding Mitsuru 'captive' while Yukari has 'trapped' Hamuko. If Akihiko and Shinjiro win, Mitsuru goes free. If they lose, Hamuko goes free. So really. Everyone here is proving to be completely awesome and, in Mitsuru, Shinjiro, and Akihiko's cases, just as capable of being a very silly person as the rest of us.

"You'll never see the fair lass again, Cap'n Sanada!" I snarled, still keeping up my crazy pirate accent. "I'll run ya through, ya scurvy dog!"

By the way, the _Pirates_ theme is still playing. It's set to repeat because really. It's the _Pirates_ theme. Never gets old.

"Don't get overconfident, ya lubber!" exclaimed Akihiko, shoving me back before we locked plastic blades again. "I'll send ya ta Davey Jones' Locker!"

"Give no quarter, Cap'n Fortune!" shouted Hamuko. "Make fish food out of 'em!"

-Best start to a vacation ever.-

"Aye, that it is!" agreed Pharos. "But why is the rum gone?"

-Because the rum is ALWAYS gone!-

* * *

><p>Sadly the boat ride was over before we could finish our duel, so we don't know who would've had to sniff the deck for peanuts. The pirate stuff got packed up and there was much agreeing (some of it begrudgingly) that the vacation was already off to an awesome start. Except for some reason, Hamuko was complaining about a lack of boat oars for her to use as an impromptu weapon. I'm admittedly kind of worried about that, but lost my train of thought when another limo was waiting to pick us up. It was awesome. One short drive later, and we were at the giant mansion Mitsuru called a vacation home. It's... very elaborate. Also huge.<p>

"Wow..." said Fuuka, which pretty much summed up everyone's reaction except Mitsuru's.

"It's like we're in an episode of _Lifestyles of the Rich and Fabulous_..."

I looked at Junpei. "You watch that?"

"Well yeah, I mean-" he stopped, then nudged me with his elbow. "Dude. Maids."

My head instantly faced forward again and yep, those are a pair of Hot Japanese Maids walking towards us.

"Welcome back, Milady." they said in unison with a bow.

"You must be her schoolmates, correct?" asked one of them. "Welcome to the Kirijo Vacation Home. Please follow me."

Yukari seemed shocked. "Um, is this the right place?"

"Dude." Junpei still sounded stoked. "Real-life maids."

"I know dude." I replied, holding out my hand for a brofist. Junpei obliged.

"I knew she was from an important family, but this definitely confirms it..." said Fuuka.

"Seriously..." agreed Hamuko, looking around the large mansion as we followed the maids.

An older, really intimidating looking guy walked past us from the other direction. He had an eyepatch on, and didn't seem to really notice us until he stopped near Mitsuru.

"It's good to see you." She said, a faint smile on her face.

He stared at her quietly for a moment, then walked away.

"Was that...?" began Fuuka.

"...her father?" asked Yukari.

"Dude, talk about scary!" said Junpei, then he looked at Mitsuru. "He's not gonna make us walk the plank, is he?"

"Only Cap'n Fortune be makin' lubbers walk the plank!" I stated. "And don't you lot forget it!"

Akihiko sighed. "Don't be stupid, you two..."

Mitsuru, however, was far more amused. "We won't be here long, but make yourself at home."

"Sweet!" shouted Junpei. "This is gonna rock! Hey, wanna go to the beach? It's right there. Dude, this place rules! Come on, let's go!"

"What, already?" asked Yukari. "I mean, sure, but let me get changed first!"

"Yeah, Junpei-kun!" chimed in Hamuko. "Not all of us have our swimsuits on under our clothes!"

Junpei scoffed. "Bah, I merely came prepared! But if you guys are gonna take a while, I'll just see you there! I'm not gonna waste a single minute!"

At that, and he was off.

"Guess you'd better go change, Roy." said Pharos.

-Yeah, guess so.- "So, which way to our rooms?"

* * *

><p>One maid-guide later, and I was on the beach with the other guys.<p>

"Yeah, now we're talking!" I said with a grin as I adjusted my sunglasses. "Never really been a fan of summer, but this is just awesome!"

"I know man, but what's with the wet suit?" asked Junpei as he sat his stuff by an umbrella. "You gonna harpoon some fish or something?" Yep, I am indeed wearing a wet suit.

I scoffed. "No, I just don't like not having a shirt on. It's irrational, I know. Besides, there weren't any actually good swimtrunks at the mall when we got there and this at least looks cool."

-For the curious, it's a black wetsuit with arms cut off about like a t-shirt and the legs cut off a little bit below my knees. Got a red stripe along the sides and it's not stupidly tight or anything.-

Junpei nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'll give you that. Unlike Akihiko-san here..."

"What about me?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Dude, you're wearing a speedo." I said. "That's just creepy. But at least you have a shirt on..."

"Well, swimsuits like this cut down on-"

Shinjiro sighed. "Aki, you're the only one here who cares about that sort of thing."

"Yeah, listen to him." I said. "He's at least sensible."

Shinjiro actually chuckled at that, shaking his head a little.

"Ah, darn... There's nothing out there I can use as a marker..." commented Akihiko, sounding disappointed. "Too bad. I was hoping for a good swim."

"Are you joking?" asked Junpei. "We come all the way to the beach and you're just gonna train? That's messed up!"

Shinjiro and I both looked at Junpei like he'd grown a second pair of arms.

"What's wrong with that?" countered Akihiko. "You got a better idea?"

Junpei grinned, looking past Shinjiro. "Damn right, I do! It's summertime at the beach, and I've got the perfect activity!"

He snatched up a bottle of sunscreen and held it like a microphone, pointing towards a few familiar people approaching.

"Say hello to contestant number one, Yukari Takeba!" he proclaimed. "Talk about a feast for the eyes, Yuka-tan's wearing a more aggressive model than I had imagined! Could her boldness come from the confidence that her club training has toned her bod?"

To give him credit, Yukari walking up in a bikini top and short shorts was not what I was expecting either. Yukari, however, didn't seem to appreciate the compliments. Then again, Junpei's being weirder then normal so I don't blame her.

"What?"

"But there's always contestant number two, Hamuko Arisato!" Junpei continued, now pointing at Hamuko. "And she's one cute mermaid herself! Those curves she usually keeps covered up are lookin' good! I can't tear my eyes away!"

Hamuko's swimsuit was a pink bikini that looks like she hand-tied it on. And I hafta admit, she did look good.

"Thanks, Junpei-kun!" she said, striking a pose. "Just don't stare too long, or your eyes might burn up~!"

Before Junpei could continue his MC duties, Fuuka walked up rather nervously in a teal tankini.

"Is that umbrella taken?" she asked.

"...Wow..." said Pharos. "She looks cute..."

-Oh really now, Pharos?-

"I-I mean, um, sh-shut up!" he sputtered, grumbling and crossing his arms.

"Oh, and here's contestant number three, Miss Fuuka Yamagishi!" said Junpei without missing another beat. "And wow, Fuuka, I had no idea you were so... I mean, you should wear a swimsuit more often!"

Fuuka was confused for a second, then she gasped and hid behind Yukari.

"Oh come on, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!" he said, trying to sound assuring but then he did this really creepy laugh and it all went out the window.

"Stop that creepy laugh, you perv!" snapped Yukari.

"Yeah, I'm with her on this one, dude." I said. "You sound like a creeper."

He grumbled, then grinned again. "And here comes our final contestant!"

I turned my head an-DAMN!

Mitsuru. White bikini with one of those sash things around her waist an a large flower on the bikini top. Ability to form coherent sentences temporarily broken.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Wow..." stammered Fuuka. "Mitsuru-senpai, you're beautiful..."

"I wish my skin was that perfect..." commented Hamuko with a pouting expression.

"Did you already put on sunscreen?" asked Yukari as the three girls surrounded her.

"N-No, not yet..."

-Minds out of the gutter people, there was no girl on girl action anywhere except in Junpei's perverted little head.-

"So." Junpei began, drawing the attention of all the guys away from the girls. "Which one's your type?"

Eyebrow. "Honest opinion or just based on who looks the hottest in their swimsuit?"

"Honest opinion." He told me. "Obviously Mitsuru-senpai wins at swimsuit hotness."

"Agreed. And admittedly none of them are, but Hamuko is close."

"Well now, that's a surprise!" he said, then he smiled again. "But man, this is great! I'm in heaven! How 'bout a swim? Buh buh buh bump ba baaa! Charge!"

With that, Junpei took off towards the water.

"Whoa! I'm not letting you win that easily!"

Akihiko bolted after him, with Shinjiro muttering something about 'idiots' under his breath as he followed at a much more leisurely pace. I set my shades down on the table with the rest of our stuff, but before I could head to the water, I got a weird feeling... like someone was watching me.

"Whoa, it's cold! Hahahaha!"

The weird feeling went away.

"You okay, Roy?"

-I think so... but Pharos, where did you get those swimtrunks?-

Pharos was wearing swim trunks now. He shrugged. "I dunno. Same place I got my pirate hat?"

-...So because you're magical, then?-

"Seems that way."

-Fair enough then. Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to get in the water!- "INCOMING!"

* * *

><p>After a few hours of beach shenanigans, we all headed back to the mansion to take it easy for a while. After I took a shower, I ended up relaxing in my room listening to some music on the stereo I brought along and drawing some pictures to pass the time while talking with Pharos pretty aimlessly. After a little while, one of the maids came to take me to Mitsuru's dad's office. Pharos naturally tagged along. Once we got there and short introductions were exchanged between the SEES newbies and Takeharu (that's her dad's first name), we got down to business.<p>

"From what I understand, Mitsuru has already given you the short version, correct?" asked Takeharu. Most of us nodded in response. "Well, it's true... We adults are to blame. If I could've atoned for it with my life, I would have done so... Now, I have no choice but to rely on you. What my father wanted to create with those monsters' power... was a time manipulation device."

"That's what he was trying to do?" asked Mitsuru, proving she didn't actually know everything about all of this.

Takeharu nodded grimly. "Imagine if you could control the flow of time... eliminate unwanted events before they occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking."

"Damn, that's insane..." said Junpei.

"However, under my father's direction, the research began to stray from its original goal." continued the elder Kirijo. "In his later years, my father seemed to only have nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that..." He picked up a remote. "It's only natural that you want to know the truth... and it's my duty to tell you."

A projector turned on behind Takeharu.

"What's this...?" asked Akihiko.

"This is the only existing footage of the accident," explained Takeharu. "Recorded by a scientist who was at the scene."

A man with short brown hair and a lab coat appeared on the projection. He seemed to be in bad shape, with a cut on his cheek and what looked like some minor burn marks. ["I pray that this recording reaches safe hands..."]

"That voice...!"

Hearing those words from Yukari made everything suddenly get a lot worse, and the explaining hasn't even truly started.

["My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived..."] continued the Scientist. ["I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster... bu if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price..."]

"The entire world?" stammered both Fuuka and Hamuko.

An explosion came from just off camera, causing the scientist to flinch slightly before focusing back on the camera. ["Please, listen carefully... The Shadows that were amassed here have dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them!"] He lowered his head slightly. ["I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success... And so, I didn't raise any objections... It is all my fault..."]

Yukari stood up suddenly as the camera shuddered violently as another explosion was heard. The camera fell to the ground, and all that was visible of the scientist was his feet and one of his hands. He appeared to be kneeling.

"...Dad..."

It seemed like he was about to fall to the ground, but the camera cut to static. Takeharu pressed a button on his remote, turning the projector off.

"You mean..." began Fuuka as everyone save Takeharu turned towards Yukari. "That was...?"

"His name was Eiichiro Takeba." stated Takeharu. "He was the head researcher at the time, and a very talented man. But, we are the ones who are responsible. We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijo Group is to blame for his death."

Mitsuru was shaking her head slowly. "I... I can't believe it..."

"So, that means... my dad caused it all...?" asked Yukari. She was visibly trembling. "The Dark Hour, Tartarus... The people who died in that incident... it was all his fault...?"

"Y-You okay?" asked Akihiko.

I saw Shinjiro slap his hand over his face the moment Akihiko asked that. I think he said something as well, but it was too quiet for me to hear it.

"So, that's why you were hiding this...? Because you felt sorry for me?" Yukari's tone was getting sharper by the second. "Is that it?"

Mitsuru was shaking her head. "No, Takeba, I..."

"I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY!" Yukari shouted, then she ran out of the room like a bat out of hell.

"Shit." I swore, bolting out of my seat after her. "Yukari!"

* * *

><p>I don't know how, but she managed to outrun me. Thankfully, one of the maids saw which way she went and pointed me in the right direction. I found her sitting on the beach, staring out at the ocean.<p>

"Yukari?"

She didn't respond, so I started walking closer.

"...I believed in him for so long... This is too much..." she began suddenly. "Remember what I told you at the hospital...? How my dad died when I was little...?"

"Yeah. I remember that."

"You understand now, right...?" Yukari asked, still not looking at me. "He died in that incident. Nobody knew the truth, so there were all sorts of rumors... because he was in charge of the research team, people were really mean to me and my mom... we even had to move a few times..."

I walked over and sat down next to her. "Sounds like it was rough."

"...Yeah. It was." She said. She sounded like she was trying to keep herself from crying. "But all this time, I kept telling myself it wasn't his fault. I loved him a lot, and I believed he'd never do anything wrong. I received a letter back in the spring. It was from him, written ten years ago..." She let out a sad laugh. "It cracked me up cuz, even though it said 'To my family', it was pretty much all about me. That only made me believe in hi more... When I found out I had a special power, I thought it was fate. I was scared, but I thought if I cooperated with the Kirijo Group, I might find out what really happened. That's why I agreed to fight using my Persona." Yukari lowered her head. "But, it turns out... all of that was for nothing..."

"Come on, Yukari. You know that's not true." I said.

She glanced at me for a second. "You're just trying to make me feel better."

I frowned. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, it's just..." Yukari sighed. "Why does reality have to be so harsh...? I tried so hard to fight my fear, and this is what I get..." She curled up further than she already was. "Maybe I'm just jealous of Mitsuru-senpai. I mean, why my father and not hers...? I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

I sighed. "Why are you asking me? I'm just another person, same as you. I don't have all the answers."

She glared at me. "Oh, well thanks, Mr. Humble. Real big help you are."

"At least you still HAVE a parent, Yukari!"

Her eyes widened at my outburst.

"Both of mine are gone." I continued. "They died because the Dark Hour exists. Your dad lost his life for the same reason. He's not at fault, he's a victim of this crap, same as you and me." I looked at her. "We both lost people who matter to us. The most important people in our lives. And Mitsuru couldn't have been hiding this to feel sorry for you. I was watching her the entire time the video wasn't playing. She was just in the dark about this as you were. So don't beat yourself up for this. Don't give up on your dad." I smiled as best I could. "You really love him, don't you?"

Yukari nodded slowly. "Yeah..."

"So c'mon, don't call it quits." I said, nudging her with my elbow. "I mean, sure, I don't think your dad would like you being in this position, but if you can fix everything, I'd think he'd be proud of you. I know for sure my old man would be proud of me for sticking my neck out like this."

She actually laughed. "Really?"

"Mmhm." I replied. "One thing I remember he told me was to never give up till the job was done. If there's something you have to do, you see it through to the end or die trying, but you don't just walk away." I stood up, offering my hand to Yukari. "So let's go. We got a job to finish."

Yukari stared up at me for a second, a look of silent awe on her face. After a moment, she smiled and took my hand and I helped her to her feet.

"Thanks Roy." She said. "My head was a mess... and I didn't know what to do, so... thanks. You really are one-of-a-kind. But let me guess... Senpai asked you to bring me back, right?"

I shrugged. "If she wanted to, I'll never know. I bolted out the door about three seconds after you did."

"Oooh, you're such a gentleman..." she said with a giggle. "...Thanks."

I smiled. "Hey, what're friends for? But we should probably get back. Kinda cold out here and the Dark Hour's gonna kick in soon."

"Yeah... I'd hate to be out here when that happens..." she agreed with a shudder as the two of us started heading back. "...You know, I just thought of something..."

I glanced at her. "What?"

"Once you awaken to the power of Persona, you remember every that happens during the Dark Hour..." she said. "It's like trading away your innocence... In exchange for power, you can no longer look away from the things you don't want to see."

I smirked. "Guess that means you're stuck with us then, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Yukari replied. "Could be worse. I could be stuck with a bunch of perverts instead of a bunch of friends."

"True enough, Yukari." I agreed. "True enough."

The rest of the walk back to the mansion was quiet, and we split up to head to bed once we got back. Well, she probably went to bed, I've been up writing the last of this before I hit the sack. And on that note, I shall get some sleep myself. Got a feeling tomorrow's gonna be an interesting day.

* * *

><p>Author Notes - Roy, you have no idea. Readers of the original AFNF probably do, though. Players of P3 might just remember who makes her grand entrance finally, and anyone who knows me will tell you it's my favorite character! I'M SO EXCITED! AND THE PLANS! Ah, the PLANS I have in store! Mwehehehehe~!<p> 


	10. Aeon Automaton

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner, GO!

**HopelessRomanticist - **So it would seem! I'm kind of on a roll with chapters all of a sudden. I blame Aigis being in the story now.

**P.T. Piranha - **Yes, yes she is. She is adorable and awesome.

**KingofZeroX - **That would totally happen. I've actually joked in my head that Reshuffled is a set and everyone in it is an actor and stuff. And the 'spooky voices' that do the Social Links are provided by Minato. Don't ask how, I don't even know how it all would work.

**cyber500** - I planned on keeping that from the get-go. Same for a familiar scene that turns up later in this chapter! Snowball fight, anyone? Hehehe...

**Overlord Duelist** - ...No. Just no. *hits you with a rolled-up newspaper*

**Gicofokami** - Thank you, and the Pirates part has again been my favorite thing to write so far.

**KazuSakai** - Roy's Necklace is only a spoiler for the savvy or people who read the original AFNF. And as for the P4 Arena related stuff you mentioned, I have played and beaten several of the story modes(all three that you mentioned actually). There's actually a reference to Labrys' in this chapter if you can spot it!

**FrozenxRose** - Shade IS still in the story, he's just merely a Persona now. He won't be returning like how he was in AFNF Classic, but that doesn't mean we won't be seeing Shadow Roy eventually. Mwehehehe...

ALSO A BONUS ALERT: There's a TV Tropes page for AFNF! Link on my profile, add to it if you feel like it. Seeing as this is the last time I'm gonna bring up the trope page, I'd like to ask more people to check it out. It kinda makes me sad nobody has updated it much in the past month or so. Also, I'd like to thank **P.T. Piranha** for Beta Editing this chapter for me! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Got up bright and early by my standards, then got dressed for casual beach going as opposed to swimming. Bucket hat, shades, loose muscle shirt, unbuttoned button-up shirt, capris, sandals, and I'm all set. All coordinated in shades of black, dark red, and gray because I have a weird obsession with that color scheme. Managed to catch the guys on the way out to the beach, though Akihiko was hanging back for a minute for some reason.<p>

"What's with the get-up, dude?" asked Junpei.

I shrugged. "Don't feel like goin' swimming today. And where are the girls?"

Junpei shrugged back. "I dunno. Maybe they're still asleep? If so, then they need to get their lazy bones outta bed! The ocean's not gonna sit around and wait for us, ya know?"

"You're right." agreed Akihiko. "Once the sun sets, the water temperature drops, tiring you out much faster."

"Aki, he means we'll get to spend less time ogling them while they're willingly wearing very little around us."

Junpei looked at Shinjiro. "Dude, I never said anything about-"

"It's totally what you were thinking." I said flatly. "Don't lie bro."

He sighed. "Fine... but still, where are they?"

"I don't know, but I just remembered..." said Akihiko, holding up a piece of paper. "One of the maids gave me this letter as we were leaving..."

Faster then I could blink, Junpei had snatched that paper away from Akihiko.

"Whoa, hey, Junpei!"

"No buts!" He replied instantly. "I ain't letting any love letter from a lovely maid slip through my fingers!"

Shinjiro groaned while Akihiko muttered something under his breath.

"Uhh, let's see here..." Junpei began, reading the paper intently. "This says, 'We've gone to see the Jyomon-Cedar Tree'."

"That looks like Fuuka's handwriting..."

It took all of three seconds after Akihiko made that observation for things to click inside Junpei's head.

"Aw man!" he complained, crumpling up the piece of paper and stuffing it in a trash can we passed. "We're at an island resort in the middle of summer! Why don't they go to the beach? That's just not right!"

"Well, it is your fault." noted Akihiko.

"Whaddya mean?" asked Junpei. "I-I just wanted to lighten up the mood..."

I patted him on the shoulder. "And you sounded like a complete creeper, bro. No offense."

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway!" he exclaimed dramatically as we finally reached the beach. "We're on our own now, just the guys!" -And Pharos.- "If you're outta ammo, you pick it up on the battlefield! That's one of the most basic military tactics! We'll call this 'Operation Babe Hunt'!"

"...What."

"'Babe Hunt'?" asked Akihiko. "You mean, like, pick up girls...?"

"Whaddya think, Akihiko-san? With you and Shinjiro-san on the squad, we're guaranteed to succeed!"

Shinjiro looked at Junpei. "How'd I get dragged into this?"

Akihiko turned to me. "What do you think about this?"

"Count me out." I said. "I'm not one for this sort of thing, and really, a smaller group means better chances for you guys if you still wanna go through with it."

"Aww, you're gonna bail on us dude?" whined Junpei. "Not cool, man..."

I laughed. "Dude, like you said, you've got Akihiko-san and Shinjiro with you. That said!" I spun around to face Shinjiro. "You're in charge."

"Huh?"

"Well, it is an operation." I said. "And an operation would mean I'm in charge. Since I'm not participating, I'm making Shinjiro the leader for this."

"Aw man, that's bullshit!" whined Junpei.

I smirked. "Brought it on yourself, bro. I'll catch you guys later!"

"Have fun, Roy." said Pharos. "I'm gonna watch the Three Stooges here crash and burn."

-Ha! You would, Pharos.-

* * *

><p>It was weird actually being by myself on the beach, but the chance at some time without anyone else around was a nice prospect. I strolled past a few people without incident, finding myself wandering towards a short pier where someone was standing. Once I actually got closer, I got a good look at them.<p>

A blonde girl, around Hamuko's height I'd wager. Seems to have a set of headphones on and a flowing blue sundress that swayed in a gentle ocean breeze. I couldn't get a good view of her face, and I'm not entirely sure why, but I kept walking towards her. I stopped next to her, staring out at the ocean like she was. For just a short pier, it's not a bad view. It took me a minute to remember she was there, and I tried to look at her face, but she turned her head away slightly. I wonder if she even knows I'm here, actually.

"Ah, excuse me..."

She stiffened, then turned her head towards me. I froze in place for a moment when I got a good look at her eyes. I've seen a lot of pretty girls up close, mainly because I befriended a bunch back home, but there was just... something about her shimmering blue eyes.

"You are..." she began, turning to face me completely. "...the one..."

"Huh?"

"I have... found you..." she said, suddenly hugging me. Tightly. "My highest priority is to be with you!"

-...Okay, this is both awesome and slightly weird. But... maybe she got a horoscope that said she'd meet the guy of her dreams on a pier or something and I fit the description? Can't fault her for that.- "That's nice, miss, but can you let go please? You're hurting me a little..."

In an instant, she let go of me and stood up straight. "I apologize. I did not intend to cause you harm."

I chuckled. "Ah, it's alright. But, if you don't mind me asking, what brings you out here?"

"I was searching for a human." She replied simply. "And I have now found him."

"Me, I'm assuming?"

She nodded. "That is correct." She moved closer to me. "Your safety is now my highest priority."

-Okay... that's actually a little creepy, not to mention her way of speaking, but she could just be a sheltered rich kid.- "So then you're going to want to stay near me, right?"

She nodded again. "That is also correct."

-Well, it's not everyday you meet a cute girl like this who wants to spend time with you out of the blue. May as well roll with it.- "Alright, then let's go. Not much point in just wasting time in one place, and I think I saw a beach bar back that way..."

"Do you require a refreshment?" she asked, tilting her head to the right.

I laughed. "Yeah. A little thirsty is all."

"I shall accompany you."

"Fine by me." I said, starting to walk away. The girl instantly moved herself beside me without missing a beat. "So, what's your name, miss?"

"I am Aigis." she replied.

-Aigis? Well, she has blonde hair so maybe one of her parents or other relatives is foreign.- "Nice to meet you Aigis-san, I'm Roy."

* * *

><p>Thankfully I wasn't insane and there really was a beach bar. It would've been very awkward if it was just an empty shack.<p>

"Hey there." said the bartender as the two of us walked up. "What can I get you?"

I scanned the menu and-Oh HELL yes they have a slushy machine!- "A medium cherry slushy, please."

The bartender nodded, then went to work while I turned towards Aigis.

"You want something?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I do not require a refreshment."

Eyebrow. "You sure? I don't mind paying, if that's what you're worried about."

"I am not."

I frowned. "Then why not? Having something to drink is better than getting too hot."

Aigis paused for a moment, like she was considering what I said.

"...It would be wise to avoid overheating." she said after a moment. "My temperature is slightly elevated..."

I smiled. "That's the spirit!" I looked back at the bartender. "Ah, can I get another slushy? Same flavor as the first."

"Sure thing."

Five minutes and one payment later, and the two of us were walking away with our drinks.

"This is a very unusual substance." said Aigis, staring at the slushy in her hands. "It appears to be a solid, yet is liquid..."

I looked at her curiously. "What, you've never had a slushy before?"

She shook her head. "I have not."

-Wow, sheltered rich kid? Dang, never thought I'd actually meet one.- "Really?"

"Indeed." replied Aigis. "I have not been outside in approximately ten years."

-TEN YEARS? Holy hell, what kind of crazy ass parents does this poor girl have?- "How is that possible?"

"I was inoperable for the majority of that time." she said, not even phased by her own words.

-Inoperable...? Like, comatose? Shit, that's just... man, I don't even know!- "I see... so then, I'm probably the first person you've talked to in ten years?"

She nodded. "That is correct, Roy-san."

-...Poor girl...- "Ah... do you have any friends?"

Aigis shook her head. "No."

"Then can I be your friend?" I asked, smiling at her.

Aigis stared at me curiously. "My... friend...?"

"Yeah. I mean, you've been alone for ten years even if you weren't awake for it." I said. "Not right if you ask me, so I don't see a reason we can't be friends."

She just kept looking for a moment. "...Very well. We can... be friends..."

My smile got wider, but I noticed her words sounded shaky. Like she wasn't sure exactly what she was saying. "Oh, but may I ask you something, Aigis-san?"

"Yes."

"Why were you standing on that pier earlier?" I asked.

Aigis frowned slightly, her eyebrows scrunching together faintly. "...I do not know. I felt... drawn to that place."

Eyebrow. "Really? Huh. Maybe you're forgetting something?"

She nodded. "That seems likely. My memories seem... fragmented."

-She can't even remember stuff either? Jeez, talk about a car-wreck's worth of problems...-

"What did you say this was called, Roy-san?"

"Huh?" I looked at her and she was holding up her drink. Looks like she tried some of it. "Oh, a slushy."

"Slushy..." she repeated, then she took another sip from it. "...It is most enjoyable."

I laughed. "Yeah, pretty good, huh?"

Aigis merely nodded, continuing to enjoy her drink. I took a sip from mine a moment before my cellphone went off. I pulled it out of my pocket, checking the caller ID.

-Yukari? Wonder what's up.- "Hello?"

_["Oh, good, I actually got through to somebody!"]_ she said. _["Something escaped from the Kirijo Lab here! Ikutsuki-san said it was like a tank!]_

-...A TANK?- "Are you serious?"

_["Yeah! He called Mitsuru-senpai and asked for help to catch it. I tried calling the other guys, but none of them picked up. Are you with them?"]_

-Well shit.- "No, I'm not. I left the three of them to wander off alone about half an hour ago. Don't know where they're at now, but where should I meet up with you?"

_["Uh, just a sec!"] _The line went quiet for a minute. _["We're gonna head back to the mansion from where we're at, but we'll pass the Jyomon-Cedar along the way, so try to meet up with us there if you can! And bring the guys with you if you run into them!"]_

"Alright. Be there as soon as I can." I replied, then I closed my phone and sighed. -So much for a relaxing day.-

"Is something the matter?"

I looked at Aigis. "Yeah, something came up and my friends need my help, so I have to get going."

"I will accompany you." She said, stepping towards me. "My highest priority is to be with you."

-Still going on about that? But cripes, I can't bring her with me...- "It's nothing serious, honest."

She shook her head. "Severity is not my concern. I will accompany you regardless."

I sighed. -Guess I get to try and explain this one to Mitsuru later...- "Alright, then do you know how to get to the Jyomon-Cedar Tree from here? I'm supposed to meet up with them there."

Aigis nodded, then pointed past me. "That path will lead directly to the specified location."

"Thanks, let's get going then."

* * *

><p>The two of us walked along at a brisk pace, still contently sipping away at our drinks. I was a little surprised she didn't ask what was going on, but I'm inclined to believe she didn't really care. It didn't take us long to reach the tree, but we must've arrived early or a little too late because nobody was there, so I just stood their with Aigis as we enjoyed our slushies. After a few minutes, I heard some rustling coming from a nearby bush and that suddenly prompted Aigis to latch onto me again without spilling her drink.<p>

"Roy! Just in time!" said Yukari as she came into view with Mitsuru, only to stop when she saw me and Aigis. "Uh... who's your friend?"

"Her name's Aigis." I replied. "She apparently likes me and I'm really not at all bothered by that."

"My highest priority is to be with him!" said Aigis, tightening her grip on me a little.

I took another drink of my slushy. "She also says that a lot."

"Who says what a lot-" asked Hamuko as she emerged from behind Yukari and Fuuka, then she saw Aigis. "Oh wow, she's cute Roy! Where'd you meet her?"

"More importantly, why did you bring her with you?" inquired Mitsuru with a sharp tone.

"Well, she insisted." I replied. "And you heard her. I'm apparently her highest priority."

Before we could converse further, the sound of three familiar voices screaming bloody murder billowed through the area for a moment. It got a little louder, then stopped as what sounded like frantic sprinting was getting closer.

"What was that..." asked Fuuka, and as if to answer her question, Shinjiro, Akihiko, and Junpei turned up, all of them gasping for breath. Pharos was following a short ways behind, laughing his ass off.

"We... escaped..." panted Junpei, then he looked up. "Huh? What're you guys-" Then he saw me. "TRAITOR!"

Eyebrow. "The hell are you on about?"

"TRAAAITOR!" he shouted, pointing at me accusingly. "TRAI! TOR! You said you weren't the kind to go around picking up chicks!"

"Hey, _she_ came onto _me_!" I said defensively. "I just walked up to her and BAM! She says-"

"My highest priority is to be with him." Aigis stated, glaring at Junpei.

I pointed at her. "Yeah, that. And who would say no to that, man? Can you blame me?"

Junpei fell to his knees, raising his hands to the sky. "WHY HAVE THE GODS FORSAKEN MEEE?"

I looked at Shinjiro. "The hell is wrong with him?"

"We almost got molested by some creepy old hag, for one." said Shinjiro. "And for second, we got propositioned by a transsexual hooker!"

Everyone there who hadn't showed up with Shinjiro, even Aigis, stared at him.

"...What the fuck were you guys doing while I was gone?" I asked. Then I realized what I had said. "Actually, on second thought, I'd rather not know."

"It's good that you've arrived, however." said Mitsuru, changing the subject. "We've encountered a problem. I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, but I need you all to go back to the house and prepare for battle."

"Oh yeah, this is about that tank that escaped, right?" I asked.

"A TANK?" asked the other three guys plus Pharos with varying amounts of confusion, surprise, and excitement between the lot of them.

"That won't be necessary."

-JESUS FUCK NINJA IKUTSUKI STRIKES AGAIN-

The chairman approached us from what I'm guessing is the direction of the mansion. "We've found what we were looking for."

Yukari, along with me and everyone else, seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

Ikutsuki walked right up to me and looked at Aigis, who still hadn't let go of me.

"You had me worried." He sighed. "You don't have permission to leave the lab on your own, Aigis."

I blinked. "Wait what?"

* * *

><p>Much to my annoyance, Ikutsuki explained exactly nothing and instead disappeared with Aigis while the rest of us went back to the mansion. It was about another hour before he called us all back together.<p>

"I apologize for all the trouble." He began. "Everything is under control now."

"Then what happened to that 'capture a tank' thing Leader Boy was yammering about?" asked Shinjiro.

Ikutsuki chuckled. "Oh, that's been taken care of." He looked over his shoulder. "Come here, Aigis."

On cue, Aigis walked in an-What the hell is she wearing?-

"This is Aigis." said Ikutsuki, indicating the blonde girl in question. "As you can see, she's a 'mechanical maiden'."

"I am Aigis." she stated. "My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES, effective immediately."

I stared at Aigis while everyone else was voicing their surprise.

-...She's a robot...? How did I not... Wait, Palladion? The hell?-

"Anti-Shadow Weapons were created ten years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows." continued the Chairman, snapping me out of my minor trance. "Aigis was the last to be made... and she's the only one that still remains today."

"An Anti-Shadow Weapon..." muttered Mitsuru, then her eyes widened. "Does that mean she...?"

Aigis nodded. "Yes, I am capable of operating the Persona 'Palladion'."

-...How the HELL did I miss that? What is wrong with me?-

"Calm down, Roy." said Pharos. "It's okay. Everyone has their off days, y'know."

-...I guess...-

"She suffered major damage in combat and has remained in the lab ever since." stated Ikutsuki. "It's still unclear as to why she suddenly reactivated herself this morning..."

"That is incorrect."

Everyone looked at Aigis.

"Functions resumed at approximately Eleven twenty-one yesterday." she declared. "I performed short-term reconnaissance for roughly one hour without my activation being noticed. Afterwards, I returned to the laboratory without complication."

Ikutsuki tapped his chin. "...Interesting. I'll have to look into that, but in the meantime, I hope you will all get along."

"An Anti-Shadow Weapon with a will of her own..." said Fuuka. "This is amazing!"

"Um... by the way..." began Yukari. "When we saw you earlier, it seemed like you knew him..."

Aigis nodded. "We had been conversing for approximately twenty minutes before he received a call from a friend. He attempted to leave alone, but it is very important for me to be by his side, so I accompanied him."

"Hmm... Perhaps her identification system is malfunctioning..." muttered Ikutsuki. "Or maybe she's still half-asleep... This is quite interesting." He tapped his chin a few times, then shrugged. "Well, I can ponder this later." He smiled. "I forgot to tell you all before, but you can participate in a wide range of recreational activities here. There's a tennis court, a pool table... even a karaoke machine. Would you care to hear me sing?"

I was already halfway to the door by the time he said 'care'. "NOPE."

* * *

><p>"Excuse me."<p>

I looked up from my computer over at the door to my room. It'd been about ten minutes since I bailed on everyone because I really don't wanna hear Ikutsuki sing.

"Yeah?"

"May I enter?"

I shrugged to myself. "Sure."

Aigis opened the door, stepping inside before shutting the door behind her.

"Couldn't stand the Chairman's horrible singing?"

"Junpei-san claimed it was 'like someone was strangling a cat with another cat'." she reported. "My auditory sensors informed me he was quite off key and singing in tones humans should not be able to produce without assistance, mechanical or otherwise."

I laughed. "Really?"

She nodded. "Hamuko-san insisted I leave when I brought this to her attention. She said she did not want me to overheat by attempting to decipher how it was possible."

"Understandable." I chuckled. "Somethings are better left not known. How the Chairman can sing like that is one of those things."

"I comprehend." she said.

I tapped my hand on the keyboard of my computer a few times. "...Can I ask you something, Aigis?"

She nodded.

"Why am I your highest priority?" I asked. "We've only just met today."

"I do not know." Aigis replied. "One moment. I will search my databanks."

"Something bothering you, Roy?" asked Pharos. "You've been kinda weird since that whole thing by the tree."

-I dunno, Pharos. It's like... there's something familiar about her...-

Pharos raised an eyebrow. "Familiar how?"

I shrugged. -If I knew, I'd tell you.-

"Search complete."

I looked at Aigis. "And?"

She lowered her head. "No data available. It is possible it has been corrupted."

I sighed. "So much for that idea..."

"I am sorry, Roy-san."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it, probably can't be helped. You were put in storage after taking a lot of damage, right?"

She nodded. "Affirmative."

"So it's not your fault." I said. "And I'm not really going to complain about it anyways, I like making new friends."

Aigis tilted her head. "...Friends?"

"Yeah. I said I'd be your friend, didn't I?" I asked. "I don't go back on my word like that."

She stared at me quietly, then her lips curled into a very small smile.

**CRASH**

-WHOA what?-

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

-Where the hell did...?-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Aeon Arcana..._

-Aeon? Aigis is Aeon? Her Persona's Arcana is Chariot! The hell is this?-

"Is something the matter?"

I looked at her. "Huh? Oh, no, I just kinda zoned out for a second. Sorry. I might just be tired."

"If you require rest, then you should rest, Roy-san." she said. "I will leave you be so you may sleep."

"No, you can stay." I told her as I shut down my computer and put it on the nightstand next to my bed. "I don't mind."

She seemed confused, but then nodded. "Affirmative. I shall stand guard."

I chuckled. "Alright then. Goodnight." -Night, Pharos.-

"G'night, Roy."

* * *

><p>Lights passing by outside the window. I stared out into the night. A voice spoke to me. I turned my head. Mom was looking back at me from the front seat. Dad was driving the car.<p>

She asked if I was tired. I stubbornly shook my head. I said I wasn't. I was, though. So very tired. It was almost midnight. The moon was full. I stared at it more, then there was a loud pop and the car lurched. Dad shouted. Mom shouted. I don't know what happened. Just a lot of noise, shouting, and then I hit my head on something. The world turned black.

I opened my eyes. Everything looked green. There was red in places, but mostly green. Dad was leaning over the steering wheel. He was looking at me and there was some red on his face. He smiled, then closed his eyes. Is he sleeping? That's a funny place to sleep, Dad. But I guess you're tired. I'll let you sleep. But where's Mom?

I looked out the front windshield. The hood was bent against that thing that kept the cars going the other way away from the cars going the same way as ours. I think we hit it. But then why is Dad sleeping? We have to call a truck to come move the car. Dad said we can't just leave a car like this. It's not polite.

Someone coughed. I looked over at where Mom was sitting and her door was open. I fussed with my seat belt to get it off, then carefully crawled out of the car. There was glass on the floor and seat. I have to be careful not to get hurt. I looked around and none of the cars were moving. Weird boxes were in the seats instead of people. That's silly. Why did everyone put boxes in their cars? Is it a game everyone is playing? I'm tired, though. I don't want to play.

I turned my head and Mom was laying on the ground. There was a lot of red around her. I called out to her and ran over to her. She was laying on her belly, so I helped her roll over. There was more red on her shirt. Her hands, too. There was a lot of red on the ground, so I was careful when I got on my knees. I asked her what was wrong. I asked where all the people went. I asked why Dad was sleeping.

She smiled at me. She touched my face with her left hand and squished my cheek a little. She always did that. She thought it was cute. I always said it wasn't. Boys aren't cute. We're cool like Dad. It made her laugh. I like hearing my Mom laugh. She said it was cute again when she stopped squishing my face. I said it wasn't. She laughed, then she looked sad even though she was smiling. She said my name. She said I had to stay there and wait for help with her. I asked why. She said she got a bad bump when the car crashed. Dad did, too, and he was going to take a nap while he waited. She said she wanted to take a nap too, but I had to stay awake to wait for help. I said I would. I'd stay awake like a grown-up and wait for help.

She smiled. She said I was a good boy and ruffled my hair. I squirmed. I don't like it when people mess up my hair. But I love my Mom so it's okay if she does it. Dad, too. I gave Mom a big hug. She hugged me back. She said she loved me. I said I loved her, too. She smiled again, then she closed her eyes. I guess she's taking her nap now, too. I sat there, holding Mom's hand. I looked around. Everything was green and had red on it. It looked like someone spilled paint all over the bridge. They should clean up their mess. Mom always tells me to clean up when I make a mess.

I heard sounds. I looked towards them. There was a black thing and a girl wearing white. It looked like they were fighting. The girl didn't have any weapons, but I heard guns. The black thing had a sword and a face like a dragon. They kept fighting. A big green thing appeared and hit the black thing once or twice and I heard more guns. The black thing roared. It sounded like a dragon, too. It's a weird looking dragon. Wait, it's not nice to call something weird. Mom said it was rude. The dragon thing probably has a Mom just like me. It might make her sad if I call him weird and he tells her. That's not very nice. But why is he fighting that girl? I didn't know girls could fight. I thought only boys fought things. That's cool.

They fought some more. The girl moved into the moonlight and I got a better look at her. She's really pretty. She has blonde hair. I didn't know there were girls with blonde hair here. Everyone has really dark hair like Mom does. I've only seen hair like that in pictures Dad showed me of my cousins in America. Is she from America like Dad?

The green thing appeared again and hit the dragon thing. It roared again, then just sorta wobbled around. I think it's dizzy. The girl was looking around, then she looked at me. Her eyes are pretty, too. I've never seen blue eyes like that before. It looks like they're kinda glowing. Is she an angel?

The girl grabbed the dragon thing, then started walking towards me. Are they going to stop fighting and help? That'd be really nice. I could talk to that girl. I never thought girls were pretty before. But she's different. She's really pretty. She stopped infront of me. She's still holding onto the dragon thing. Is he in trouble? Mom would grab my ear when I was in trouble. The girl said something. I looked up at her, then suddenly everything went black.

* * *

><p>I jerked upright in bed, breathing heavily. I put my hand on my face. I felt cold sweat on my skin. It's still dark out.<p>

"Roy-san?"

"Roy?"

I looked to my right. Aigis was standing there with Pharos a little ways behind her.

"You okay?" he asked. "It looked like you were freaking out..."

"Your heartbeat was increasing rapidly and it appeared as though you were trying to say something." stated Aigis. "Are you sick?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not sick... I'm fine..." I let out a shuddering sigh. "...Just had a nightmare is all."

"A nightmare..." Aigis repeated. "A phenomena in which humans perceive unpleasant images while unconscious, correct?"

I nodded shakily. "Yeah... just a nightmare is all... I don't remember much of it now..." I rubbed my face. "God, I'm still tired..."

"You sure you're okay, Roy?"

-I have no idea. That dream... it was about the accident ten years ago... I haven't had a dream about that in years...-

Pharos seemed surprised. "The accident?"

-Yeah... fuzzy memories of what happened... they're all hazy again, so I can't remember most if it now...-

"If you still require rest, you should attempt to sleep again, Roy-san." said Aigis. "I will monitor your condition."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks... G'night..."

-...What is going on with me...?-

* * *

><p>"Good morning! Please wake up."<p>

I rolled over in bed, then sat up groggily. I looked around and- "...Aigis?"

"Yes, Roy-san?"

"Why are you wearing my fedora?"

"I was attempting to ascertain the function of this object." she stated. "You had a different one when we met on the beach and this one when Ikutsuki-san introduced me to SEES. You wore neither last night."

I blinked. "...That's because it's hard to sleep with a hat on."

Aigis stared at me quietly for a moment. "...I comprehend."

"...So then are you going to keep wearing it?"

"It will not be misplaced if I do."

I started to say something, but I stopped. "...Okay, yeah, you do make a good point. But, um, excuse me for a minute... I need to get dressed."

"Affirmative." She replied, but she didn't move.

I sighed, then grabbed my clothes and went into the bathroom. Better then having to explain this sort of thing this early in the morning...

* * *

><p>After a shower and everything, I came out in my swimsuit with a that button-up shirt from yesterday on over it. Aigis was still wearing my hat and she had that blue dress she was wearing yesterday on as well.<p>

"Roy-san, I have been asked to escort you to the beach." Aigis stated. "Hamuko-san said it was important."

-Pharos?-

"Hamuko had a silly grin on her face. She probably just wants you to hurry up so you guys can enjoy the beach more before you have to leave."

-Seems legit.- "Alright Aigis, let's go."

"Do we have a mission at the beach today?" Aigis asked as we got closer to where everyone was.

I shook my head. "Nah, just hanging around on the beach to have some fun."

"Fun..." she repeated. "...Recreational activities?"

I nodded. "Yeah, exactly. We came here for a vacation, so we're trying to relax instead of being all wound up with fighting Shadows and such."

"Excessive stress would hinder performance." She noted. "Thus 'fun' is necessary at times for humans."

I grinned. "That's very true! Ha, I think you'll fit right in with everyone else, Aigis."

"Hey! Roy, you're late!"

I turned towards Junpei. "Dude shut up, I had trouble sleeping last night."

"He experienced a ni-"

"You don't need to tell them, Aigis." I sighed.

"Oh ho, got a secret do w-" He was interrupted by a snowball to the face. "GAH! Where did that come from?"

I tossed another one up and down in my hand. "It's amazing what boredom and ice channeling can lead people to doing, innit?"

Aigis tilted her head. "Channeling?"

"Using Persona abilities without summoning a Persona." I said, tossing the snowball way over everyone and into the ocean. "Much weaker, but also means you're not completely hosed if something happens to your Evoker."

"Where'd you figure out how to make snowballs?" asked Junpei as he finished wiping the snow off his face.

"Like I said, boredom." I replied. "I get bored and I'm someplace where nobody will see me, and I do little channeling things to pass the time. Snowballs were actually pretty easy compared to the force grip thing I've been trying to do with wind."

Junpei laughed. "Dude, you need a hobby. But whatever man! Let's take one last dip before we leave!"

Junpei bolted for the water, and Aigis started to follow him.

"Ah, Aigis, are you water-proof?" I asked before she got too far down the beach.

"Affirmative!" She replied.

I sighed. "Okay cool, that might've been a catastrophe otherwise..."

"Yeah, seriously..." agreed Yukari. "It'd fry Junpei and who knows what else..."

I started to say something, only for whatever it was I was going to say to be obliterated from my mind when Aigis walked back towards us.

-H-Holy crap... wet clothes... clinging to curves... GAH! No! Focus! Ngh... stupid sexy robot...-

Pharos started laughing and I shot him a quick glare.

"What's wrong, Aigis?" asked Fuuka.

"It is best that we all engage in this activity together." She said. "An activity in which only one person derives enjoyment is not the optimal method to 'have fun'."

Fuuka giggled. "You're right. Let's go, Yukari-chan."

Pharos' laughter died right there as Aigis led the rest of the girls towards the water. His eyes were glued to Fuuka.

-Oh ho, what have we here?-

His face turned red and he looked away. "Wh-What are you talking about? I wasn't doing anything!"

I grinned. -Suuuuuure, Pharos. Oh hey, are they splashing each other with water?-

Pharos' head instantly shot back towards the girls, then he realized I tricked him and glared at me.

"You're an asshole." he grumbled.

I chuckled. -Ah, I'm just messin'. If you want to watch the girls, go for it. I can't stop you.-

He just huffed and crossed his arms while I walked over to the umbrella Shinjiro and Akihiko were sitting next to. Shinjiro looked like he was taking a nap.

"Enjoying yourselves?" I asked.

"Mmhm." grunted Shinjiro.

"Still wish there was a marker out there..." Akihiko grumbled. "It's hard to just judge the distance when you're out there..."

I shrugged. "Oh well. Ya win some, ya lose some."

"Incoming creeper." said Pharos.

I turned around and sure enough, Ikutsuki was walking towards us.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked. "We've been quite busy during our time here, but it looks as if we can relax a bit today."

"Why do you think we're at the beach again, dude?" I asked. "Sure as hell ain't because we like math or something."

"Hey, Akihiko-san, c'mon!" shouted Junpei from the water. "It's your turn!"

Akihiko looked confused and started muttering something, I didn't hear it, whatever it was.

"Well, I'm glad to see everyone is having a good time." he laughed. "I've already told you what time the ship will be arriving tomorrow, yes? I'll most likely head over to the port early, so don't be late."

"Okay, I'll let everyone know." replied Akihiko.

-Guess the chairman meant him and not me.-

Ikutsuki started walking away. "Until then, enjoy the last day of your vacation!"

**CRASH**

-OH GOD NO I DON'T WANT AN IKUTSUKI SOCIAL LINK-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

-THANK YOU WHATEVER GOD IS LISTENING RIGHT NOW-

"Roy! Akihiko-senpai!"

Akihiko sighed. "This again...? I guess we should go too..."

"Yeah, probably." I agreed, taking off my shirt and sunglasses. "Let's rumble!"

I dashed for the water with Akihiko hot on my heels, hitting the surf with what I'm sure was all the skill and grace of a beached whale. Junpei flailed around a bit, then suddenly backed away from Aigis as I wiped the water from my eyes.

"Aigis, wait! That's not what 'water gun' means!" he said as Aigis pointed her fingers at him. There was a hose coming out of her arm and into the water, and a moment later water was being sprayed right into his face. "Aaaaack!"

"Junpei-kun is down!" shouted Fuuka.

Yukari grinned. "Alright, here's our chance for an All-Out Attack!"

"ATTACK!" I bellowed.

"Go go go!" cheered Hamuko.

"Whoa, whoa, time out!" Junpei sputtered as he tried to flounder away from everyone. "I seriously can't- OH GOD NO AAAAAAAAAAA!"

-And Junpei didn't eat dinner that night.-

* * *

><p>-Okay, I lied, he did have dinner but I enjoy being funny so sue me. Anyways!-<p>

About half an hour after we finished tormenting Junpei, I found myself lazily floating on one those inflatable chair things while everyone else was still goofing around. Except Aigis, who was sort of circling my floaty chair like some kind of cute robotic guard shark.

"Hey guys..." I began. "I have an idea."

Yukari leaned on the beach ball she had in her hands. "What kind of idea?"

"A crazy one, duh." I replied. "Because you know what I think we should do?"

Hamuko stared at me while still maintaining a death grip on Shinjiro, who she was trying to get to come into the water. "What do you think we should do?"

"Have a snowball fight."

The silence that followed was almost deafening.

"...How the hell are we supposed to have a snowball fight?" asked Shinjiro. "We're on a beach in the middle of summer."

I threw a snowball at him. "Channeling. Duh."

He swatted it aside and gave me a weird look.

"Sounds like fun!" exclaimed Hamuko. "What do you guys think?"

"Fortune."

-Hoooooo boy.- "Yeah, senpai?"

"You want to use our Personas to have a snowball fight." She said. "On the beach. In our swimsuits."

I looked at Mitsuru. "Well, yeah. I mean it's fucking hot as hell today so it'd be nice..."

Mitsuru stared at me for a moment, then her lips curled into a sinister smirk. "...Then I would like to know how to make snowballs with my Persona."

"Me too!" chirped Hamuko, scurrying away from Shinjiro and over to my floaty chair.

-...This is going to be great.-

One crash course in snowball making and two sand-forts later, and the two teams were squaring off. Me, Aigis, Junpei, and Fuuka against Mitsuru, Shinjiro, Akihiko, Yukari, and Hamuko. They got to have two people with ice because otherwise it's not fair because I'm kind of ridiculous. Anyways, I carefully poked my head over the top of the fort. I could see Hamuko doing the same over at hers, along with Akihiko. The two of them ducked back down a moment later.

"Everyone ready?" I asked quietly.

"Y-Yes." "All set!" "Affirmative." they answered at once.

"Alright then..." I sprang to my feet and chucked a snowball in a high arc at the other fort. "ATTACK!"

I heard a shriek, likely Yukari, before their team started chucking snowballs back at us. Good shots, too. They were clearly organized with Mitsuru in charge, but I had a cunning plan.

"Aigis!" I shouted. "Commence bombardment!"

"Acknowledged!" she replied, popping out from behind a small sand-hill a couple feet to the left of my team's main fort and lobbing snowballs artillery style.

"Ack!" Hamuko flailed around as a snowball hit her square on the top of her head. "Hey, no fair!"

"ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR!" I bellowed. Before I could throw another snowball, though, I got beaned in the face with what felt like an brick that promptly shattered into a fine powder against my skull. I was down on the ground and trying to remember which way was Canada for a few moments, then I shook myself off and sat up.

"Roy-kun, are you okay?" asked Fuuka. I looked to my right and Junpei was still tossing snowballs. Aigis was too, and a lot faster than before. I think she didn't like me getting hit that hard.

"Yeah, I'm fine... what hit me...?"

"Yuka-tan hit you with a bean ball, bro!" replied Junpei. "Think she turned herself into a snowball sniper, because I keep seeing bits of sand get chipped off our fort every other time I duck back down!"

"So she's using her wind skills to basically shoot us?"

He nodded. "Yeah, seems like it." He blindly lobbed a snowball over the fort. "Any ideas?"

I grinned. "Fight wind with wind."

I made a snowball, waited for one of the tell-tale 'sniper' shots to whiz by before I sprang up and fired one back at them. Just my luck, I ended up hitting Shinjiro. In the face.

I stared for a second before ducking down again.

"We're dead." I reported. "I beaned Shinjiro between the eyes."

"Warning!" shouted Aigis. "Large projectile incoming!"

-Wait what?-

"Shinjiro's got a snow-boulder Mitsuru and Hamuko made for him." stated Pharos. "He's getting ready to throw it."

-WHAT?-

"ALL'S FAIR, RIGHT?" I heard Shinjiro shout just as I looked over the edge of the fort. I saw Shinjiro lob a snowball roughly the size of a golden retriever or maybe a little smaller our direction.

-HOLY FUCK THAT WILL LEAVE A MARK!- "ANTI-AIR! ANTI-AIR!"

"Too late!" shouted Fuuka, who ducked for cover. I did the same, but Junpei... he wasn't so lucky...

"Holy SHI-ARGH!"

"Junpei-kun!"

He raised his hand weakly while most of his face was still covered by snow. The snow-boulder had been just loose enough to not cause serious damage on impact, but still compact enough to not break apart midair so now it looks like he's covered in flour or something.

"R-Remember me..." he moaned, though it came out a little stuttery because he's probably really cold now. "F-For I-I have died... the w-w-way I lived... a-awesome..."

He over-exaggeratedly faked passing out. I still had to internally shed a manly tear, that was beautiful.

"I WILL AVENGE YOU, BRO!" I bellowed, standing up and chucking snowballs left and right. "REVEEEEEENGE!"

It wasn't more than three seconds later that I got hit by a snow-boulder too. It sucked, but it still beat roasting in the sun.

"A-Aigis..."

"Yes, Roy-san?"

"T-Tell 'em we surrender..."

"Affirmative."

* * *

><p>Suffice to say that in spite of the massive failure that snowball fight turned out to be, we still had a pretty damn awesome end to our pretty damn awesome vacation. I spent most of the night packing up with a little help from Aigis, then the entirety of the next day was coming back from Yakushima. Because we needed a different, slightly larger boat to bring all the technical stuff for Aigis along, it took a while for us to get back to Iwatodai. On that subject, Junpei face planted on the couch in the lounge once we got all our stuff back up to our rooms.<p>

"Man, I'm tired as hell..." he sighed. "It felt like it took forever and a half to get back..."

"At least you had enough Doritos to last you."

Junpei scoffed. "A man is always prepared."

"It was a tiring trip, wasn't it?" asked Fuuka. "We should try to get some rest so we're ready for the next operation."

-Speaking of which!- "Hey, Aigis, the next full moon is two weeks from now, right?"

She nodded. "Affirmative."

"Yeah, we're gonna have plenty of time..." I yawned. "Maybe even too much... I don't even know what I'm gonna spend half my time doing all summer..."

"Me either, man..." groaned Junpei. "I mean it's kinda good, cuz that means I can fight Shadows with everyone whenever, but I'm probably gonna be really bored..."

"Sounds like it sucks..." sighed Hamuko from her slumped spot on the other couch between Yukari and Fuuka. "Not that I don't have the same problem..."

Yukari rolled her eyes. "Well, all that aside, we only have to beat the last six and all this is over. The Lost will get better, and everything will be back to normal, right? That's why we gotta try our best."

"Amen to that..." I said in English, lazily raising my arm. "But for now... sleep is good... yes... bed now..."

I think I staggered up to my room at that point, I don't really remember because I'm pretty sure I passed out once I hit the bed. I did, however, have an interesting wake-up call.

"Good morning! Please wake up."

I groggily opened my eyes, then pushed myself up to a sitting position. I looked to my left and Aigis was standing there, looking fairly content.

"Mission accomplished." she said with a smile.

I yawned. "Did I sleep past my alarm...?"

She shook her head. "It has not yet triggered." she pointed at a note I'd left pinned to my calender for the past three weeks. "The paper on the wall says 'do things five minutes early', therefor I woke you up five minutes in advance."

"Oh, okay..." I replied, turning off my alarm before getting out of bed.

No sooner had I gotten to my feet did someone knock at the door.

"Hey, are you awake, Roy?"

"Yeah, what's up Yukari?" I asked through the door.

"Aigis disappeared, and we can't find her anywhere!" she replied.

Eyebrow. "Have you tried checking my room?"

"...No, why?"

"Aigis, would you kindly get the door?"

Aigis nodded, then walked over and opened the door. She's wearing my fedora again, too.

Yukari seemed surprised. "Huh? But, how did you...?"

"He was asleep, so I unlocked the door." Aigis said simply.

"That's illegal, you know..." sighed Yukari.

"In her defense..." I said. "I really don't care she broke in. Also you, me, and her are the only people who even know this happened."

"I know it happened." noted Pharos.

-Yes, but they can't see you because you're magical, remember?-

"Point taken." he admitted.

"Well, I guess that's fine then..." said Yukari. "But I thought you were supposed to stay in the command room at night."

"I propose to be on standby in this room from now on." replied Aigis. "Is this acceptable?"

Yukari looked at me.

"I got no problem with it." I said. "But isn't all that really big and complicated tech stuff supposed to get installed for her today? I don't think that'll fit in here..."

Aigis looked around the room, and she frowned slightly. "...Roy-san is correct. There is not enough space for the maintenance station and the furnishings in this room..."

-Hrm... wait...- "Yukari, there's still a few empty rooms on the girl's floor, right?"

"Yeah... why?"

"Well, can Aigis have one of those?" I offered. "Like, the one right above my room or something?"

Yukari's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah, I hadn't thought of that! I'll go ask Mitsuru-senpai if it's alright to put her stuff in there so she has a place to stay." she looked at Aigis. "Oh, and don't leave the dorm by yourself today, okay?"

Aigis nodded. "I will do as commanded."

"Ugh, I'm still a little tired..." Yukari griped with a yawn. "I have practice, so I gotta get going..."

"Alright, see you in class." I said.

"...Everyone goes to a place called school in the morning." Aigis noted with a nod. "I comprehend."

I yawned again. "Well, it's only for today and tomorrow before we have a lot of time off. And hey, if you want to, you can hang around in here while I'm gone today. Unless they need you to help move stuff when those dudes get here, anyways."

"Understood." Aigis replied.

"Actually, feel free to come in here whenever you want." I said, taking my hat off her head and putting it on my desk. "You said it's important to you that I'm okay, so it'd be kinda counter-productive to keep you out or whatever. Just knock on the door before you come in unless it's late at night."

Aigis stared at me for a second, then seemed to smile. "Thank you, Roy-san."

"You're welcome, but now I need to get ready and everything, so can you go wait in the lounge please?"

She nodded. "Affirmative."

* * *

><p>Junpei was the only one still around when I left, so the two of us headed off to school together. He was oddly quiet until we got on the train.<p>

"Hey, Roy..."

I looked at Junpei. "Yeah?"

"What's gonna happen after we beat all those Shadows and the Dark Hour disappears?" he asked.

"Aside from Apathy Syndrome being gone, you mean?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

I shrugged. "Who knows? Normal people don't even know the Dark Hour is actually a thing that exists."

"So that means nobody is ever gonna know anything about what we've done." sighed Junpei. "That kinda sucks, don't ya think?"

"Well, if people knew, would you really want to deal with the fame?"

He looked at me weird. "Eh?"

"Speaking from personal experience on this, but being in a position of fame... it isn't all it's cracked up to be, really." I said. "Like, when I first went to school in America after the accident, a buncha kids found out who my dad was and thus knew I was rich a little while after I arrived. Mostly greedy twerps thinking they could get in my good graces and get free stuff they wanted. When that didn't work out, a few of 'em bullied me because they thought I was stuck-up."

"...Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It kept up for a year or two before I got fed up and got into a fight because some punk had the gall to insult my parents. Got the shit kicked out of me for my trouble, but the jackass didn't get off much better. I was a scrawny little dude back then, but that goes out the window when emotions run wild and adrenaline kicks in. I only didn't get suspended because he hit first and I came out of the scrap worse than he did."

"But what's that gotta do with being famous?" asked Junpei.

"That fight only happened because the kid originally wanted to exploit me for his own gain." I told him. "If SEES was famous, we'd probably have to deal with a lot of people who wanted to exploit us for one reason or another. Like some big business guy wanting to get one of us to advertise something just so he can say 'Approved by the kid who saved the world' or some shit like that."

Junpei frowned. "C'mon, do you really think that'd happen?"

"Of course." I said. "Even if it sounds crazy, don't count it out as being something impossible. And besides, what good would all the fame do us anyways? We'd have creepy stalkers, annoying fangirls, and dudes wanting interviews popping up damn near every other day at our doorstep or swarming us when we went out to the store."

"True..." he admitted. "Guess being an unsung hero does have some perks, huh...?"

I nodded in agreement. "Mmhm."

* * *

><p>The day dragged on because it's only this one and tomorrow that we're even here, so it's not like we're getting any really big lessons or anything. Just little stuff and a few easy assignments that Junpei could do in his sleep with both arms tied behind his back. Exam results were posted at lunch, but I didn't care enough to check them. Junpei was gonna look anyways, so he could tell me. Of course, I still went down to the store on the first floor to get some melon bread because I was an idiot who forgot to grab his lunch before leaving the dorm, and was snacking on it on the way back to class when I found a couple of students huddled by the PA Room's door. One of them with a familiar head of brown hair and bobby pins arranged like the roman numeral for twenty-two.<p>

I cleared my throat loudly as I approached them.

Hamuko jumped slightly while her friend just froze in place.

"H-Hey Roy-kun..." said Hamuko nervously as she turned to look at me. "W-What's up...?"

Eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"U-Um..." stammered the other girl, but Hamuko was suddenly a lot less nervous.

"I'm helping Saori-san." she stated.

"Why?" I asked. "Aside from the obvious 'She is my friend and I shall help her' motivation I'm assuming is in play."

Hamuko frowned. "A buncha stupid rumors have been going around about Saori-san, so I'm helping her prove them wrong." She sighed. "But the PA Room is locked..."

"How stupid are the rumors in question?"

"People are saying she's an egotistical tramp and it's not right!" stated Hamuko, stamping her foot. "And she got suspended because of some stupid article in a stupid magazine she only got her picture taken for!"

I nodded. "I see. In that case, move."

Hamuko and Saori blinked. "Huh?"

I pulled a multi tool out of my pocket. "I can't open the door if you two are in the way."

The two of them stepped aside, and I started jiggering around with the door lock to get it open.

"You know how to pick locks, Roy-kun?" asked Hamuko.

"You never know when this sorta thing will come in handy." I replied as the door opened. "There we go. Do what ya gotta do."

Saori smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Roy-san."

She scurried inside the room and I closed the door behind her, then opting to lean on it. A few moments later, and the school's PA turned on.

_["This is Saori Hasegawa of class 2-C. There's something I'd like to say."]_

It took exactly ten seconds after the PA turned on for the sound of someone running started getting closer.

"Hey, Hasegawa!"

I looked to my right and Ekoda was storming towards the PA room, Ms. Toriumi and Ms. Ounishi, one of the other teachers, walking at a much less rushed pace behind him.

"Are you a part of this, Arisato?" snapped Ekoda once he was closer. "And you as well, Fortune? How disrespectful do you have to be to hijack the school broadcast to pull a stunt like this? Hasegawa! Stop this at once!"

He made for the door, but between Hamuko getting in the way and me leaning on it, he didn't even touch the handle.

"Arisato... Fortune..." he scowled. "Now, look how wonderful Ms. Toriumi's students are!"

-Wow, that was the most thinly veiled sarcasm I'm ever heard from a human being!-

Ms. Toriumi, though, looked unamused. "...Excuse me?"

"Ms. Ounishi, isn't Hasegawa one of your students?" asked Ekoda, turning towards her. "Her behavior must be caused by your teaching ability."

"What insane breed of logic is that?" I asked.

"I'd like to know as well." said Ms. Ounishi. "And is she even saying anything that's isn't true? As I recall, the one who wanted to cover everything up about the truth of the matter was-"

Ekoda wasn't having any of it, though. "Don't you start pulling reason on me! Ugh, you science majors..."

"That has even less to do with what is going on!" I exclaimed in unison with Hamuko.

"You two just stay out of this!" said Ekoda, turning back towards us. "I would have thought you were above this sort of thing Arisato, but clearly Fortune is a negative influence on you!"

I stared at Ekoda. "Negative in... What the hell did I do?"

"You obviously condone this inappropriate behavior, or else you would have gone to a teacher to report this!"

I blinked. "No, really, what insane breed of logic are you using? I wanna know. Between this and that whole thing with Fuuka-san back in June, I'm amazed you still have a job!"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" He said, pointing at me and turning towards Ms. Toriumi. "Why did you ever agree to have him in your class? He's obviously a trouble maker! I knew it from the moment I read his file!"

_["I love this school."]_

That statement stopped the whole argument dead as everyone present looked towards the PA speaker nearby.

_["The teachers are kind but strict, and I have a wonderful friend who believes in me..."]_ Saori's voice sounded like it was trembling. _["I'm very sorry that I cause all of you, students and faculty, any trouble. I really am sorry... from the bottom of my heart..."]_

Ekoda was actually silent for a moment, but then I noticed a bunch of other students starting to crowd around. Seems like he did a moment later, too.

"E-Everyone, get lost!" he snapped.

Nobody moved.

"Everybody, if you stay here I'm going to begin handing out additional homework!" shouted Toriumi.

That cleared out the hallway in the span of about four seconds.

Ekoda straightened his tie. "Now, as I was saying, Fortune is clearly a rabble rouser! He started fights, lorded over his classmates, and only associated with other ne'er do wells!"

"Hey, leave my friends out of this!" I snapped. "What do you know about any of them, anyways? And what were you doing reading my file if I wasn't going to be in your class?"

He scoffed. "As a teacher, it is my business to be mindful of potential problems for other students."

"You're being unreasonable, Ekoda." said Ms. Toriumi. "I've read his file, and every time an altercation was mentioned, he was either provoked or protecting someone. The rest of what you said wasn't even mentioned at all!"

"You have to read between the lines, Toriumi." stated Ekoda matter-of-factly. "With a background such as his, it's a miracle he was even accepted at our school."

I twitched. "Excuse. Me. But what are you getting at, Ekoda?"

"You're a disgrace!" he exclaimed, a wild look in his eye. "Mask it all you want with your high scores, but you're a liar and a cheat! I can only imagine how disappointed your parents would be if they were still alive."

The entire hallway went dead silent. Toriumi's eyes were wide, Ms. Ounishi's jaw was on the floor, Hamuko was taken aback, and Pharos was shaking his head. Me, though? I'm not mad. Not angry, either.

I'm _**PISSED RIGHT THE FUCK OFF**__._

"What the hell do you know about my parents you stuck up, ignorant, and down right fucking stupid excuse for a human being?" I demanded. "Did you know them? Can you talk to the dead? Are you some kind of psychic crystal ball reading whack job?"

Ekoda scowled. "Watch your tone-"

"NO I WILL NOT WATCH MY GODDAMN TONE." I barked. "I'm not going to stand here and let some self-absorbed jackass insult my family and friends right infront of me!"

"You will watch your words or I will have you expelled, Fortune!" Ekoda shouted back.

He then promptly shrank back when I got up in his face and loomed over him.

"I chooseth this fate of my own free will." I snarled. "I will take whatever consequences come of this without complaint. I refuse to let a bully like you have your way, even if just shutting up and letting you have your stupid fun would be so much easier."

"What is going on here?"

I froze as the rage evaporated like water on the surface of the sun. That would be the Principal's voice.

-...Pharos, in the event that this somehow leads to my death, know that I regret nothing.-

"I'll be sure to pass it along if at all possible." he replied.

-Thank you.-

"Ewano-san, sir, I'm glad you're here!" said Ekoda, his confidence suddenly back as he turned away from the six foot tall sixteen year old three steps away from punching him. "I would like to have Fortune ex-"

"I was not asking you, Ekoda." stated the Principal, interrupting Ekoda. "I heard most of the altercation, but am short on understanding several matters." he turned towards Ms. Toriumi. "Toriumi-san, would you be so kind as to enlighten me?"

"Ekoda was provoking Fortune." she replied. "He was on a tangent about how his family would be ashamed of him if not for their unfortunate death when he was young."

The Principal nodded. "I see... and what caused this 'tangent'?"

"U-Um..." came a small voice from behind me, drawing everyone's attention. Saori was out of the PA Room now, and how long she's been there, I have no idea. "I-It was my fault... he was kind enough to open the PA Room for me, and I guess he got into an argument with Ekoda-sensei..."

"More like Ekoda-sensei started spewing wild accusations left and right!" said Hamuko. "He blamed Ounishi-sensei for Saori-san's behavior, Roy-kun for mine, and then he went off about how Roy-kun should never have been admitted to this school at all!"

The Principal turned his head towards Ekoda for a moment, then looked at Ms. Toriumi and Ms. Ounishi. "Is this true?"

"Yes, quite true." replied Ounishi. "After he blamed Fortune for Arisato's behavior, Fortune mentioned something about the incident with Fuuka Yamagishi in June."

"Yeah, Ekoda covered up her disappearance for the, and I quote..." I began, holding up my hands to make finger quotes. "'Sake of her reputation' if I'm not mistaken. It's been a few months so I might be wrong."

The Principal nodded slowly, his hand on his chin. "Is there someone who can confirm those statements, Fortune-san?"

I nodded. "Yes, Mitsuru-senpai was there. She might remember more about it than me."

"I see." he said, then he looked at Ekoda with a stern glare. "My office. Now. We're going to have a very long discussion, Ekoda."

"B-But sir-!"

He held up his hand to silence him. "No buts, and if you don't keep your mouth shut until we get to my office I'll fire you on the spot. You've been on thin ice for months as it is."

Ekoda's jaw was on the floor, then he scowled and walked off. The Principal then turned towards the our teachers.

"Ounishi-san, Toriumi-san, I shall leave the disciplining of these students to you both." He told them. "But, do go easy on them, if only a little. Ekoda could try the patience of a stone."

The two teachers nodded, and the Principal smiled.

"Thank you. I do hope the remainder of your day is pleasant." He said before walking away.

Toriumi and Ounishi then looked at the three of us.

"...Should I bring a cake tomorrow, Sensei?" I asked.

Toriumi smiled. "Make it a big one, please. You're covering for Arisato-san and Hasegawa-san."

"Chocolate, preferably." added Ounishi. "I'll be wanting a slice or two."

I saluted. "Can-do, Sensei. But I gotta ask, why're you letting us off so easy?"

"With you, it's because I'm amazed you didn't try and knock some teeth out of Ekoda's head." replied Ms. Toriumi. "If you had, then you would've actually been in serious trouble. And what Hasegawa-san said made me feel a lot better. I don't know how many times I've reprimanded my stupids for gossiping, but they never listen to me."

Ms. Ounishi nodded in agreement. "And it must've taken a lot of guts for you to stand up for yourself like this, Hasegawa-san. Next time, though, come to a teacher before trying something like this, alright?"

Saori nodded. "I will... but... I was only able to go through with it because Hamuko-chan was with me..."

Toriumi chuckled, then nudged Ounishi. "See? All it takes is a good friend."

Ounishi rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, you're the best teacher in the universe, Toriumi-sensei." She looked back at the three of us. "But you three are free to go. I don't even want an essay out of you."

"Th-Thank you very much, Sensei." said Saori.

"Yeah! Thank you!" agreed Hamuko.

"What they said." I commented, pointing at Hamuko and Saori.

"Roy, you are stupidly lucky sometimes." Pharos pointed out.

-I know and it scares me.-

* * *

><p>We got back to class and got through the rest of the day. I heard some talk about Ekoda not showing up for the other classes he had to teach, so he might be legitimately in deep shit. On the way back to the Dorm, Hamuko nudged me a little ways before we got to Port Island Station.<p>

"What's up, Hamuko?" I asked.

"Thanks for earlier." she said. "I'm still surprised you didn't get in more trouble, though..."

I laughed. "Yeah, I am as well. Like I was willing to take getting suspended if it meant I got to punch him in the face even once."

"Yeah, that would've been worth it." Hamuko agreed. "But still. Thanks for helping Saori-san."

I grinned. "No problem. A friend of yours is a friend of mine, and friends help each other. Or at least that's my philosophy, anyways."

She giggled. "Seems legit to me."

**CRASH**

-Oh hey there.-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana..._

-Nifty.-

"Ah, I gotta go though..." she said. "I'm working at the cinema today..."

Eyebrow. "You have a job at the movie theater now? I thought you worked at that cafe..."

"I work at both places." she replied simply. "I multitask like a boss, but I'll see you later, Roy!"

"Alright, later Hamuko!" I said as she scurried off ahead of me, leaving me to walk along towards the station with Pharos.

"She has way too much energy sometimes." He noted. "Way, way too much."

-Mmhm.-

"You're in my light."

I turned my head to see a girl a white dress sitting on one of the planters. She had hair as red as mine and a sketchbook in her lap. Hanged Man Arcana.

"Move." she said, her glare intensifying.

"Ah, sorry miss." I apologized, stepping out of the way. "Didn't mean to bother you."

She huffed, then went back to her drawing.

-Huh. Never seen her before... wonder if she's waiting for someone.-

"Probably is, but let's get back." said Pharos. "Didn't you have something to do today?"

-I can't honestly remember, but whatever! Let's roll, little buddy.-

* * *

><p>Author Notes - Writing the Nightmare Dream Sequence was harder than you'd think. ALL OF THE FEELINGS AAAAAAAAAA ; 7 ;<p>

That aside though, the next few chapters should, in theory, be up very soon. And on that note, you best be ready to Switch It Up next chapter!


	11. Switch It Up: Heirophant

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Cyber Anko** - Yeah, stuff like that is more of what I'm trying to add to Reshuffled.

**KingofZeroX** - Well given my thoughts on the Adachi link in the Golden, I can see the Protag kind of ruining November 4th because honestly, who in their right mind would go along with that plan?

**Overlord Duelist** - Azren will not be making a return either. And really, when I named him I didn't know there were actual things with a name like that! As for Dorritos, that's a running gag with a friend of mine who roleplays Junpei on tumblr(and she in fact beta'd the Chapter Junpei was narrating!). Said Junpei really likes Dorritos.

**Guest** - If Yukari gets a chapter to tell the story, it won't be this chapter. The final three Switch It Up chapters are already planned, but the next two are a bit up in the air at the moment. Hamuko might get a chapter as well, but I'm still kinda undecided.

**FrozenxRose** - No, Mitsuru won't be getting one. I really doubt I could write her mindset properly.

I'd like to thank **P.T. Piranha** and my friend **SykoMonk** for Beta Editing this chapter, and I also have a NEW BONUS ALERT that will only be for this chapter and the next! To anyone curious, I have a tumblr RP blog for Roy(He's past the end of Reshuffled, Norimoto Style, and P4 Arena because of reasons, so watch out for spoilers on my blog!) and there's a feature I'd like you all to check out: The Arcana Codex. It's sort of a primer of info about how stuff works in the Reshuffled-verse(most of these things will get brought up at some point) and is linked via the 'Arcana Codex' button on my tumblr. Feel free to follow and RP with me, I don't bite! o 7 o

Anyways, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Why did I agree to this? It doesn't make any sense to me. I can get why he'd want to make a journal or whatever about all this, but why the hell does he want me to write part of it? Then again, he didn't say how much he expects me to write, so I'll just fill a page or two and give it back.<p>

* * *

><p>725/09 – Cloudy

Had to sit through one last day of school before the vacation, but since they handed out all the summer assignments yesterday, it may as well been a free period all day long for all that it mattered. Aki wouldn't stop grumbling about the lack of a gym at the dorm for his training during the summer, not that I actually think it'll stop him from trying to improvise. His determination is one of his better traits, even if he gets ridiculously focused on what's infront of him and forgets to take care of himself.

...Note to self, see about spiking everything he eats with vitamin supplements. He dumps that protein powder shit of his on everything, so he'd never notice if I did.

One of the highlights of my day was that red-eyed idiot pestering me at lunch.

* * *

><p>"<em>What?" I asked, staring at her.<em>

"_I... um..." she fidgeted. Got something behind her back, too. "I-I wanted to give you this!"_

_She suddenly shoved a bento at me. I looked at her face. She was flustered and nervous. Tch._

"_...Thanks." I said, taking the lunch box from her. Opened it and it at least looked edible. "Why give it to me, though?"_

_Arisato fidgeted again. "W-Well, Mitsuru-senpai said you almost never seem to have a lunch, s-so I made one for you..."_

_I sighed. Aki keeps forgetting to bring a lunch with him, so I end up having to make him one. "...I see. Thanks."_

_She smiled. "Y-You're welcome, Shinjiro-senpai! S-See ya!"_

* * *

><p>She ran off before I could tell her to stop calling me 'senpai'. Not that it'd work anyways, I've told her not to do it at least seven times by now and she still does it. Tried the lunch and it wasn't half bad. The chicken was a little undercooked, but not enough for me to get sick or anything. Makes sense considering she's in that cooking club with Yamagishi and Fortune.<p>

Speaking of Fortune, I saw him talking to some girl with brown hair after school while I was on my way out. He talks to a lot of people, but rarely ever about himself, from everything I've overheard. Probably has his reasons, same as me.

I had to make a stop at the alley near Port Island Station on my way back to the dorm, though. Apparently 'they' wanted to have a little chat.

* * *

><p>"<em>Good afternoon." said that exceptionally pale asshole as I walked over to him and his lackeys. "I'm glad to see that you're well."<em>

"_What do you want?" I asked._

"_I merely wished to inform you our business arrangement has come to a close." he told me. "We have been informed of your group's intentions. We cannot allow them to come to fruition."_

_I glared at him. "And what're you gonna do about it?"_

"_That is for you to find out." he said cryptically. I hate it when he pulls this. "But, it is rather lamentable that we have no choice but to intervene. To erase the Dark Hour would be denying the very power they possess. We cannot tolerate that."_

_I scoffed. "More like you can't. I could live without this damn power of mine."_

"_Watch your mouth." growled his lackey in the green jacket. "Or you'll get what's coming to them sooner."_

"_Whatever." I grunted. "If this is all you wanted, I'm leaving. And don't expect a final payment."_

"_What?"_

_I turned around and started to leave. "You heard me. Not like I even need your damn help anymore, anyways."_

* * *

><p>Never liked those guys. Except the girl. She always seemed like she only followed those two assholes around because she had nowhere else to go.<p>

I kept to myself moreso than usual once I made it back to the dorm. Amada's here now. Seems to really like Aki, so at least he's not hanging around me like a certain someone seems intent on doing despite my attempts to get rid of her. Once Fortune turned up, he talked to Yamagishi about something, then went around whispering to everyone. Confirmed my hunch he wanted to head to Tartarus when he started towards me. If I surprised him with it, I don't know. He's got that damned poker face of his that makes him a pain to try and figure out, even if it is impressive he can pull it off as well as he does.

Part of why I still don't entirely trust him, actually. He always looks like he's on guard about something or like he's having a completely different conversation with someone else even when there's nobody there. Either he's a very high functioning psychopath, or he's scared of something. I'm more inclined to believe that second option.

Having said that, he did manage to earn some respect because of what happened while we were running around in that damned tower after we killed a group of Shadows that were just sitting around waiting for us.

* * *

><p>"<em>Wow, jeez..." sighed Arisato, gasping for breath. "Those things were brutal..."<em>

_Fortune was rubbing his arm. "Yeah, seriously... the regular ones that hang around in the lower blocks were bad enough, but the Hogan trio right there make the other ones look like chumps..."_

_Aigis did that head tilt thing of hers. "Hogan Trio?"_

"_Oh, Roy-kun says those Shadows look and sound kinda like some wrestler guy from America." said Arisato. "Honestly, after seeing a picture of the guy, I agree."_

"_I comprehend."_

_Fortune started towards the stairs, but stopped suddenly._

"_Did you guys hear that?" he asked._

"_Hear what?" I grunted. I was answered by the sound of rattling chains._

_[W-What is that thing? I-It's so powerful...!]_

_Yamagishi's terrified comment let me figure out exactly what was going on even before that creepy ass, blood-stained, gun-toting monster turned up straight out of a wall._

_The Reaper was after us._

"_SCATTER!" Fortune barked before the Shadow opened fire. Parts of the floor were obliterated by the shots and chunks of debris flew around the large room._

_The next couple of minutes were lost to me amongst a mix of frantic shouting, gunfire, and explosions. The Reaper was standing between us and our only ways out, those being the Access Terminal and the stairs, so we were stuck with the bastard gunning for us. It started blasting at us with fire and ice and crap like that, which got Arisato moving faster because if a wind blast from this guy hit her, she was done for. Aigis, however, wasn't quite as lucky. A lightning beam hit the ground near her with a sizable explosion, sending her crashing into a wall._

"_Aigis!" shouted Arisato, running over to check on the blonde robot._

_The Reaper took notice and pointed both his guns at them. They were sitting ducks, and I was too far away to do anything. Even if I could, with all the power I have, I wasn't able to do more than mildly annoy the Reaper with attacks from Castor. The Shadow fired another blast of lightning, but what happened next, I wasn't expecting._

"_Roy-san!" "Roy-kun!"_

_I don't know how, but he managed to put himself between them and the Reaper, taking the lightning bolt head on and not even looking like it hurt him at all. Guess he had a Persona that completely blocked lightning attacks with him._

_He was panting heavily, his arms crossed as he stood in a 'braced for impact' sort of way. He lowered his arms and the look on his face wasn't like anything I've ever seen from him before._

"_Now..." he gasped, shrugging off his coat and tossing it behind him. "You've made me angry..."_

_He took off his hat as well, then reached up the right sleeve of his long sleeve shirt and started doing something. A moment later, and he pulled a bandage out from his sleeve and dropped it to the floor. He hadn't acted like he was hurt before, so he had to have had that on for another reason._

"_Shinjiro." he said. "Get Hamuko and Aigis out of here."_

"_I will not retreat!" exclaimed Aigis, sounding very upset._

"_No arguments!" He snapped, jamming his Evoker against his head. "I'll hold this bastard off while you guys get out of here!"_

"_Are you crazy?" I shouted. "That thing's gonna eat you alive!"_

"_I DON'T CARE!" He roared, pulling the trigger on his Evoker. The gunshot echoed through the area and everything suddenly felt like it got a lot heavier. "SHADE!"_

_I've seen Fortune's Persona a few times. Dude in a trench coat and a hat mostly in gray scale. But this was different. The thing was bright and colorful all of a sudden, and it looked pissed._

_[Wh-What's happening to Roy-kun?] shouted Yamagishi over her psychic communication channel. [H-His power suddenly increased...!]_

_The Reaper had been watching all of this without doing much, but now suddenly seemed to take interest. He fired a shot at Fortune, but his Persona got in the way and took it right in the chest. Didn't even look or act like he felt it more then if you'd pinched him._

"_Holy...!" stammered Arisato. "Roy-kun, what's-"_

"_GET OUT OF HERE!" He shouted, rushing towards the Reaper with his Persona. "NOW!"_

_Not needing to be told twice, she started trying to help Aigis up. She wasn't having much luck so I ran over to help. Once we got her up, I looked back at the fight._

_The fact he didn't just get splattered against a wall like a bug was what holding most of my attention, moreso than the fact it looked like him and his Persona were actually HURTING the Reaper. The coordination between them was insane, even for a Persona User. Fortune struck from behind, distracting the Reaper enough for his Persona to strike from another angle. It kept going like this, with Fortune and Shade taking some heavy hits and still fighting through them._

_Shade body checked the Reaper into a wall after a few more back and forth hits, but that almost turned into a bad idea because he saw the rest of us heading for the Access Terminal. He pointed his gun at us, only to get a huge ass fireball to slam into him. Said fireball turned out to be Fortune's Persona having set itself on fire and tackling the Reaper._

"_You're fighting me, asshole!" Fortune barked. "Pay attention!"_

_A deep, rumbling laughter filled the room as the Reaper focused on Fortune again. They started fighting again as I got Arisato and Aigis around the corner to where the Terminal was at._

"_Go on through." I told them._

"_But... Roy-san is in danger..." said Aigis, weakly trying to get out of our grip. "I have to... protect..."_

_I sighed. Not in the mood to argue right now. "Just get down to the lobby, I'll go make sure the idiot doesn't get killed."_

"_Be careful, Senpai!" shouted Arisato as I started back towards the fight._

_I groaned as I rounded the corner, only to find the large area looked like some kind of fantasy war had just ran through it._

_Craters, blast marks, chunks of ice, and debris were everywhere and Fortune was still going toe-to-toe with the Reaper._

"_HEY!" I shouted. "Everyone's clear, get your ass over here!"_

"_You go first, I'll be right behind you!" he yelled back. "Just... gotta get past this asshole...!"_

_He punched the Reaper in the gut as his Persona punched him in the face, causing it to stagger-float back. The Reaper raised its guns, but didn't get to fire them before Shade started grappling with him. The Reaper's guns went off as he struggled to push Fortune's Persona away._

"_Quit fooling around and get your ass over here!" I bellowed. "NOW!"_

_As if that was the cue he needed, his Persona headbutted the Reaper, dazing it long enough to blast him with a massive wind attack before vanishing. Fortune bolted for his stuff he took off for whatever reason, grabbed it, then started running towards me as the Reaper pulled himself out of the wall he got knocked into. I started backing off towards the terminal as Fortune got closer, but the Reaper had other ideas. He fired his guns at the ground, sending a bunch of ice spikes in our direction._

_What happened next, I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it in person._

_Fortune swiveled on the balls of his heels, mid-step, and punched the ice with a fist on fire. Without missing a beat, his Evoker was against his head._

"_PERSONA!"_

_**BANG**_

"_FOOL'S WILL: ROYAL SHADE FLUSH!"_

_His Persona appeared again, suddenly flicked a bunch of cards out of its sleeves, then threw them at the Reaper. The cards were all glowing different colors, and once they reached the Reaper, they started exploding._

"_BOOK IT!" He shouted, grabbing my arm and dragging me along with him as he headed for the Terminal. His persona vanished again, and I didn't see what happened to the Reaper before we were suddenly in the lobby._

"_Holy shit Roy, are you okay?" asked Iori._

_Fortune was hunched over, gasping for breath. He looked up and gave a thumbs up._

"_Not the greatest, but I'm not dead..." he sighed. He wobbled in place a moment later. "Tired though..."_

_Next thing I know, he's face planted on the floor and everyone is huddled around him and freaking out._

_Takeba was kneeling next to him, she had her hand on his neck for a moment, then she sighed in relief. "He's okay... he's just unconscious..."_

"_Shit, I'm amazed he's not dead." I admitted. "I saw him take at least three shots from that Shadow and not even flinch."_

"_Yamagishi, you said his power increased, correct?" asked Mitsuru._

_Yamagishi nodded. "Y-Yes! He was fighting on the same level as that Shadow... I-I don't know where he got that kind of power from..."_

"_I see..." she murmured. "It's like the last time there was a confrontation with that Shadow. His power skyrocketed and he managed to damage it..."_

_I stared at the unconscious bastard. Aigis had rolled him over, and he looked like he was smiling._

"_Yeah..." agreed Iori. "He was trying to save me, Yuka-tan, and Hamu-tan that time! Think that had somethin' to do with it?"_

"_It might..." said Aki. "We'll have to ask him once he wakes up..."_

* * *

><p>It takes a special kind of crazy to fight that Shadow alone, but it was still damn impressive. If he can pull off shit like that on the fly, the rest of those Full Moon Shadows don't stand a chance.<p>

Aigis insisted on carrying him back to the dorm, not that anyone objected, but it was weird seeing someone Aigis' size carrying someone Fortune's size. Not that I'm complaining, I was probably the only other person who could cart his tired ass back with us. I didn't waste any time going to my room once we actually got back. Dealing with Shadows is always tiring as hell.

* * *

><p>726/09 – Partly Cloudy

Fortune was still out cold by the time I got up. Aigis was dead set on keeping an eye on him all day. I didn't really care, I just kept to myself. With nothing to do, I've been spending my time writing this stupid thing. Why am I still writing this, anyways? I've got nothing to talk about. Fuck it, I'll just get Aigis to put this damn computer back in his room. He can bitch about it when he wakes up or whatever.

* * *

><p>Author Notes - For those wondering what's up with Roy, think back to the last time the Reaper showed up and the title of the chapter. I foreshadowed this as subtly as I could manage, and don't fret! You'll get an explanation about how the hell Roy fought the Reaper both times in this next chapter.<p> 


	12. Fun Times in Inaba Reshuffled

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**P.T. Piranha** - Personally, I see Shinjiro as a no-nonsense kind of guy(at least before Hamuko begins having an impact on him), so a short chapter fits with that.

**KingofZeroX** - No, Roy's not that stupidly overpowered. Beating Nyx is one thing, but the way you described? That'd just be insulting to the canonical ending to Persona 3. And how Roy went up against the Reaper is literally the first thing covered in this chapter. It is sort of like Orgia Mode, only less controlled in activation.

**KazuSakai** - Yeah, sorry about the rapid updating. I would've had this chapter up like a day after the previous ones, but Borderlands 2 happened so yeah. Having Aigis' Social Link appear far sooner than in the game was one of the first ideas I had for Reshuffled because fuck waiting around till January in-story for that. It's meant to be a slightly different take on the link for reasons I'll get into near the end of it.

As for the Roy thing in chapter 11, like I said in the review above this one, it's the first thing mentioned in the chapter. The move Shade pulled off is his 'signature' Fusion Spell. How'd he do it by himself? Well, I'll probably get into that later. Mwehehe. Anyways, no, the weather things weren't important, I just thought it'd be a way to have Shinjiro's section of the 'Journal' look different from the rest. I plan on doing something like that with all the other Switch It Up chapters. Also, ShinjiroxHamuko is great and was going to be a thing that happens from the moment I started writing Reshuffled.

**FrozenxRose** - The Reaper will have more relevance like in the original AFNF, yes. It's just kind of hard to work it in since I'm not having Roy snap at everyone and everything, then head to Tartarus alone like an idiot. It'll be easier later on in the story, though.

**Rikarikun** - Yeah, in-universe, Reshuffled is a Journal Roy is keeping of the events and it's on his Laptop. Now everyone reading this can feel free to wonder if Roy is an Unreliable Narrator or not, because the Fool Reversed is 'Not seeing things as they truly are'. Mwehehehe...

**Guest** - October 4th is going to be different, yes. As will November 4th, actually! And December 3rd. And the 31st. And most of January. Basically once the story gets to the end of September, things start changing. Slowly at first, but then it really picks up the pace.

**Gicofokami** - Depends, what'd you think those cards were? Because they're supposed to just be magical exploding cards used for that attack.

I'd like to thank **P.T. Piranha** for Beta Editing this chapter, and I also have a NEW BONUS ALERT that stops appearing after this chapter! To anyone curious, I have a tumblr RP blog for Roy(He's past the end of Reshuffled, Norimoto Style, and P4 Arena because of reasons, so watch out for spoilers on my blog!) and there's a feature I'd like you all to check out: The Arcana Codex. It's sort of a primer of info about how stuff works in the Reshuffled-verse(most of these things will get brought up at some point) and is linked via the 'Arcana Codex' button on my tumblr. Feel free to follow and RP with me, I don't bite! o 7 o

Anyways, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>I found myself staggering along a familiar checker board path before flopping through the blue door that waited at the end.<p>

"What... happened...?" I asked as I stumbled over to the chair I usually sit in. "I feel... really weird..."

"You have overexerted yourself, my young friend." stated Igor. "Using the power of the Wild Card as you had can prove dangerous."

-Huh?- "The Wild Card? That's how I was fighting the Reaper?"

He nodded. "Correct. A trait of our guests is something known as the Fool's Will. It is at the root of your power, and unleashing it can turn the tide of battle."

"But... I didn't even know that was something I can do... How did I...?"

"It is not a conscious choice to use this power." said Igor. "It reacts in dire situations automatically, similarly to an adrenal response within the human body."

Eyebrow. "So it's basically Wild Card Adrenaline?"

"Precisely." He replied with a nod. "Though I must warn you, attempting to rely on it is not wise. As you are no doubt aware, tapping into the Fool's Will leaves you quiet exhausted when all is said and done. To use it for as long as you have at your level of power... you are most fortunate to have not been killed."

I swallowed hard. "So, if I use it too much, I'll die...?"

"No. It is merely dangerous, as while it enables you fight on a level far above what you currently possess, it is still possible to find foes that are stronger still." Igor told me. "And the resulting exhaustion in the wake of its power could prove detrimental to your efforts if it recurs often or worse, could strike mid-battle and leave you vulnerable to fatal injury."

I nodded slowly. "So, I just be careful about it?"

He nodded once more. "Indeed. Care should be taken, though... I find something most puzzling."

-Eh?- "And what would that be?"

"Your powers appear to be progressing in an almost unstable manner." He said. "There are abilities you should have displayed by now, but have not. Perhaps your unique mental state is affecting your abilities..."

"Unique mental state?" I asked. "Do I have some kind of undiagnosed mental problem?"

Igor shook his head. "No, nothing of the sort to the best of my knowledge. But the foundation of your soul appears... fragmented. Do not be alarmed, it is not something that will hinder you or cause harm. It is merely unusual. I shall attempt to ascertain why this is the case, my young friend."

I gave Igor a weak smile. "Thanks... I'd appreciate that..."

"You are quite welcome." he replied. "Our role is to assist, and this matter falls under my jurisdiction. But, time marches on in your world. Until we meet again, farewell..."

* * *

><p>I groaned as I sat up in bed, partly because I just woke up and partly because my everything aches right now.<p>

"Are you alright?"

I looked over to see Aigis kneeling next to my bed and staring at me intently.

"Aside from feeling like a truck hit me?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm fine..."

Aigis looked confused. "A vehicular impact was not the cause of your condition."

I laughed lightly. "It's an expression. Wasn't talking literally."

"I see... then you used what Junpei-san called a 'figure of speech'?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Aigis nodded as well. "I comprehend."

"Roy, you are completely insane." commented Pharos from his seat at my desk. "I don't even know how you did that, but it was both the coolest and dumbest thing you've done so far that I've seen you do."

-My spine and thighs agree with you on the dumb part. And according to Igor, it was Wild Card Adrenaline that did it. So I'm not, y'know, more stupidly magical than I already am. Not sure I could deal with more crap than what I've got..."

He hummed. "Interesting."

I looked at Aigis. "How long have I been out?"

"Approximately sixteen hours." she reported. "It is currently four-oh-seven in the afternoon."

"So not that long..." I sighed. "Cool, cuz I have to go to school for the next few days for sports club training..."

A knock on the door interrupted any reply Aigis might've had.

"Aigis, can I come in?"

"Sure Hamuko." I replied. "Door's open, I think."

Said door practically flew off its hinges as she opened it.

"Roy-kun!" Hamuko exclaimed with a big grin on her face. "You're awake!"

"And sore in places that don't exist." I groaned.

She winced. "Ouch. But at least you're alright! Junpei-kun kept worrying you might be in a coma."

"Well after the first full moon that happened after I arrived, I was unconscious for ten days..." I admitted. "Kinda why I disappeared from school way back at the start of the year."

"Oh so that's what happened..." she hummed. "Anyways, I was gonna offer to help Aigis, but since you're awake, I guess it's not a problem."

I shook my head. "No, there is still a problem. Ken's here, right?"

Hamuko nodded.

"And I'm assuming Aigis hasn't left my room since we got back last night?"

"That is correct." stated Aigis.

"So then Ken still doesn't know she's here."

Hamuko shook his head. "No, he does. He wanted to meet her, but I managed to convince him she was busy..."

"Well, then we have a thing we need to take care of." I said, swinging my legs over the side of my bed. "I may hurt everywhere, but I can channel healing from one of my Personae while we head to the store to get Aigis some clothes."

Aigis seemed confused. "I do not comprehend."

"Ken's gonna be here for the summer, but he's not a member of SEES." I told her. "It'd be better he doesn't know your body is mechanical in that case. So getting some clothes for you to wear to hide most of your body would probably be for the best."

"Oh, good idea, Roy-kun!" agreed Hamuko, then she started tugging on Aigis' arm. "C'mon, you can borrow some of my clothes for now!"

I chuckled weakly as the two girls left my room, then sighed.

"Pharos?"

"Yeah, Roy?"

"I need to see about getting a Persona that has a passive healing ability."

"Sounds like a good idea, considering how often you hurt yourself."

"Shaddup."

* * *

><p>About five minutes later and I was waiting at the second floor lounge looking mostly presentable and drinking a can of Cielo Mist. Sucks the vending machine here in the dorm doesn't stock Dr. Pepper, though...<p>

"Hey, Roy-kun~!"

I looked up at the stairs. "Yeah?"

Hamuko bounded down with a big grin on her face. "How does she look?"

Before I could ask what she was talking about, Aigis came down the stairs. If not for knowing she's a robot in advance, I'd have thought she was just a foreign girl wearing a very unique set of headphones. She was wearing a long sleeve orange shirt, a red skirt, black leggings, and red boots.

"Not bad." I said. "If I didn't know otherwise, I'd think she was a friend of mine from back home after getting a haircut."

"Then the camouflage provided is effective?" asked Aigis.

I nodded. "Mmhm, very effective. Now let's get going. If Mitsuru-senpai asks, we'll go over it and the stunt I pulled last night in a club meeting on the top floor..."

* * *

><p>Surprisingly there were few protests to me trying to leave the dorm, likely because Ken was in the lounge with everyone else. Unsurprisingly, however, was that Mitsuru wanted to talk about the whole 'Fought the Reaper and lived' thing, but said it could wait till we got back. At least we didn't spend forever and a half at the mall getting stuff for Aigis once we got there. Sure, there was a lot of bags and I am now pretty much almost completely broke, but if it saves a lot of headaches down the road, I'm not gonna bitch about it.<p>

The trip back was a little more interesting, though, if only slightly. It kinda started with me almost walking right over some kid like he was a piece of cardboard.

"Ah, my bad, you okay dude?" I asked, kneeling down and offering my hand to help the poor guy up. -Huh. Magician Arcana...-

"Yeah... I'm fine..." he replied, shaking his head and taking my hand. "Shoulda been paying more attention myself..."

Hamuko didn't seem to believe him. "Are you sure? Roy-kun coulda squashed you like a bug..."

I sighed, making a look of mock offense. "Hey, I joke about being Godzilla, but I don't actually mean it, ya know!"

"Nah, really, I'm fine!" he said, holding his hand up while messing with his hair a little with his other hand.

"Yosuke!" called a voice from some ways away. "What's the hold up, kiddo?"

The guy looked past us. "Sorry, be right there, dad!" He looked at us. "I gotta get goin', so no hard feelings, okay? Later!"

And at that, he scurried off.

-...Wonder where he got those headphones. Those looked cool...-

* * *

><p>Once we got back, Mitsuru called that meeting so we all gathered up in the Command Room.<p>

"Let's just get down to business without drawing this crap out..." I began with a sigh. "As I understand it now, what I did was basically a Persona-User Adrenaline Rush."

Mitsuru rolled her eyes, while Akihiko looked at me skeptically. "Really?"

I nodded. "Really. Supposedly it's limited to Persona Users with abilities like mine, but I have doubts about that because it just makes no sense. Also, using it too much is bad."

"How bad are we talkin'?" asked Junpei.

"Like, 'it could burn out in the middle of a fight and then I'm gonna die' bad." I replied. "I wasn't exactly told, but I'm guessing using it too much makes it last for a shorter amount of time or something. So y'know, you guys can't just have plan B become 'throw Adrenaline-charged Roy at everything' instead of 'throw Shinjiro at everything'."

"Why do I rate that high to you, anyways?" asked Shinjiro. "I don't get it."

"Well even if we're starting to finally catch up, you've basically disintegrated every Shadow you've fought because you're that much stronger than the rest of us." I said simply. "Y'know, aside from the ones that were in some way resistant to physical attacks."

He rolled his eyes and muttered something. I was too far away to hear it.

"So who exactly told you about all this, Roy-kun?"

I looked at Hamuko. "You remember that crazy blue door I keep mentioning that only I can see because magic or some shit?"

"Yeah..." she replied with a nod.

"Yeah, the dude who runs that place is the one who told me." I said. "He's just as magical and I sound far crazier than normal, don't I?"

"No, not really." said Pharos. "But that's just my opinion."

Junpei shrugged. "Eh, only a little. I think most of us are getting used to the weird crap you talk about."

"How long have you been seeing that door, Roy-kun?" asked Fuuka.

"Uh... since the first time I went to Tartarus." I said. "Technically the dude in charge called me in while I was asleep literally the day before I awoke my Persona, but the door never appeared before then."

"And the one in charge... what does he look like?"

-...That is not the sort of question I expected to hear from Mitsuru.- "Uh... old, balding, nose about the length of a ruler, nice suit, and bloodshot eyes. His name's Igor and he's got an assistant named Elizabeth."

Mitsuru stared at me for a minute, then sighed. "...I see."

"Yeah, I worry for my sanity as well." I said, then I started muttering to myself. "At least he's not Louis Cypher or something... that'd be so much worse..."

"Hey, can I change the subject for a sec?"

"Change it for longer if you want Yukari, if I don't shut up we're gonna meander way off topic anyhow..." I commented.

"Alright, then why'd you and Hamuko-chan leave with Aigis earlier?"

Aigis decided to finally speak up. "Roy-san felt I should have a means of camouflage to avoid an incident with Ken Amada during his stay at this dormitory."

"With the added side bonus of avoiding an incident with other normal people as well." I added. "Y'know, because I have a gut feeling Aigis is going to be following me around every so often when I leave the dorm..." I let out a loud yawn. "Ah, sorry. Still kinda wore out..."

"Perhaps you should get some rest, then." said Mitsuru.

I stretched slightly. "Yeah, probably should, huh...? Got club training for the next few days after all..."

* * *

><p>I wasn't conscious for long after I got into bed, so I actually got up with my alarm on time. Once I got my stuff together, then headed off to the school with Hamuko. When she brought up where the tournament was going to be held, I was contently surprised. It's a rural town called Inaba, and my mom's brother Kihei lives there. She mentioned she wanted to get the chance to meet him before she split for the fields when we got to Gekkoukan, while I headed to the gym. I wasn't entirely expecting what I found there.<p>

"Toriumi-sensei?" I asked as I set my bag down. "Why're you here?"

She grinned as she continued stretching. "Would you believe I've got a black belt?"

"...Surprisingly, yes." I admitted, though my face probably looked more like I had trouble believing it. "So you're the, and I quote, 'Hard-ass instructor that's gonna whip us boys into shape'?"

"Yes, but not just me. I called in a favor from an old classmate of mine from high school."

"Aiyah, Isako-chan! How long does it take you to warm up?" griped an unfamiliar voice from the direction of the locker rooms. I turned my head to see who was there, and a fairly tail, blonde haired woman in a tight tanktop and loose pants was walking towards us. "Oh, lei ho. You must be one of the club members, right?"

I blinked. "Uh, yeah..."

"Well, nice to meet you, then!" she said with a bright smile. "I'm Lisa Silverman, and I'll be whipping your club into shape for the tournament!"

I looked at Ms. Toriumi again. "Uh... Is this even approved or anything...?"

"Of course." she replied, waving her hand at me. "Lisa-chan owes me a favor from some help I gave her a while back with her 'chinyan'."

"Aiyah, don't bring that up!" exclaimed Lisa, her face turning a light shade of red. "It's embarrassing..."

Toriumi laughed. "Alright, alright. You're a little early though, Roy-kun."

I shrugged. "I actually expected more people to be here, but if there's nobody, gimme like five minutes to go get changed..."

-I pictured one of those scene transitions from that Adam West Batman show in my head the moment I headed off to the locker room. I'm pretty sure I need help.-

"Yes Roy, you do."

-Hush, Pharos.-

Once I was leaving the locker room, more of the guys had turned up and some of them seemed skeptical about Lisa and Toriumi teaching us anything. The only one who wasn't was Kaz, because he's not a jerk like most of the rest of 'em. After we were all gathered, Coach Yamato was standing with the two ladies right next to him.

"Alright guys, lemme introduce you two your instructors who will be putting you through hell this week." He began, indicating Lisa and Ms. Toriumi. "I'm sure many of you know Toriumi-sensei as your composition teacher, but not that she has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do."

I heard a few guys around me murmuring, while Kaz simply let out a low whistle and leaned a little closer to me.

"Remind me to never piss our teacher off, okay?" he asked quietly.

"Likewise, dude." I replied.

"Your other new friend will be Silverman-san here, and I'm sure a few of you might recognize her from a few fitness programs." continued the Coach. "Don't let their good looks fool you, they'll tear you guys apart if you let 'em."

I crossed my arms as a fairly apt quote came to mind. "Then perhaps we should be like water, huh? Can't really tear water."

That turned everyone towards me.

-...Why do I open my mouth sometimes?- "It's a Bruce Lee thing. If I'm remembering it right, the quote was 'Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot and it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend' or something like that."

"What's your name?"

I looked at Lisa. "Roy Fortune, sensei."

She smiled. "I like you. You have good taste."

-...I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.- "Um, thanks...?"

"You get to go first." she said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "Get on the mat."

-...Well shit.-

"It was nice knowing you, Roy." said Pharos. "You lived as few men dared to dream."

-Thanks for the vote of confidence, ya asshole...-

* * *

><p>To say I got my ass handed to me is like saying the Sun is 'a bit warm'. Between Lisa and Toriumi, I don't think anyone on the team walked away without at least three bruises; one on each side of their ass and a third on their ego. Except me, I was special and just got three on my face instead. Not literally mind you, but I still face planted on the mat at least twice. I staggered into the lounge once I got back and plopped over the arm of the couch nearest to the door where Junpei was sitting and just stayed like that.<p>

"Dude, you look like hell..." he said. "Was your training really that brutal?"

I didn't look up. "Junpei... I got my ass kicked by our homeroom teacher..."

"...What?"

"Toriumi-sensei has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, dude." I said, turning my head so I could look at him with one eye. "I have bruises on my spine to prove it."

He stared at me in wide-eyed fear.

"Yeah, that's what Kaz did after I hit the mat." I sighed. "And I get to go in for Rounds two through eleventy billion over the course of the next few days!" I half-heartedly raised my right arm. "Woohoo...!"

"...Dude, Roy, if you don't survive, can I have your computer?"

"No. Hamuko gets it."

Junpei sighed. "Darn..."

* * *

><p>The next day of training was a lot like the first, only with less of both our new Coaches beating the hell out of us personally and instead getting us to beat the hell out of each other. Kaz and me were doing the best, so we got to try our hand a going two on two against them. It went about as well as a train derailment, but at least we managed to actually hit them once or twice before we got destroyed.<p>

Day after that, and Kaz and I got the Industrial Strength Training From Hell. How we survived, let alone put up fights as well as we did, is beyond me. Of course when I got back, I was way too restless for my own good so I convinced Mitsuru and Akihiko to let me go out to patrol the city in the Dark Hour. It's usually up to Akihiko, but he didn't seem super bothered I wanted to take over for the night, even if Mitsuru thought it might be a bad idea because of my sports training. That said, it was really peaceful surprisingly. As always, it had that unusual cold that was trademark for the Dark Hour, and despite the blood and coffins, made for a pretty relaxing stroll through the city. A few clouds drifted lazily in front of the nearly full moon, and as I approached Naganaki Shrine near the end of the patrol, all was well.

-Well, that was far more relaxing than I expected, Pharos...-

"Yeah..." he agreed absently. "Wait a sec, what's that over there?"

-Huh?-

"By the shrine, there's something on the ground."

I looked over and sure enough, there was a large white shape on the ground by the shrine. I moved a little closer, and the shape stood up and barked.

-Hey, that's Koromaru! Y'know, the dog with the Arcana we met a few weeks back?-

"Oh yeah, I remember him..." said Pharos as Koromaru approached us. "I'm surprised he's in the Dark Hour, though."

-Same here.- I knelt down and patted the dog on the head. "Hey there, little buddy. Didn't think I'd find you out here."

Koromaru barked again, looking up at me for a second before looking past me and barking again.

"Whoa, there's more than just me out here?"

I turned around and that guy I saw a month or so ago was staring at me. Black hair, leather jacket, black pants, blue shoes. He looked more than a little startled and confused.

"Uh, hey there..." I said. "Nice to meet you?"

He stared at me for a little longer. "Wait, you're that guy..." he trailed off, then shook his head. "Nevermind, but what the heck is going on here? What happened to all the people?"

"Transmogged." I replied. "Or more accurately, they're in those coffins you see everywhere. You have to be pretty unlucky to get sucked into this or have an... unusual trait, otherwise you stay in a coffin and don't know this exists."

He went silent for a minute, then sighed. "...This had better just be a dream..."

_[Roy-kun, I'm sensing a powerful presence near you...]_ said Fuuka suddenly over her psychic channel. _[What's going on?]_

-Um, nothing much? There's a guy standing here and Koromaru's with me, but other than that, nothing odd...-

_[W-Wait, what? Koro-chan and someone else are in the Dark Hour?]_

-Yeah, and this guy looks confu-

"WHO WANTS TA HAVE A GO AT ME?"

"What the hell was that?" I exclaimed in unison with Pharos and the guy in the leather jacket.

_[Roy-kun, a large Shadow is approaching your location! I'll wake the others, just try and be careful until we arrive!]_

-Well, SHIT!- "Look alive, giant monster headed our way!"

"Wait, what?" The guy looked at me. "A monster?"

"Yeah, monster! Now get over here or it's gonna eat your brain, dude!"

He looked like he was going to protest, then the ground shook a little. We looked towards the street and there seemed to be a very large Hulk Hogan shadow stomping towards us.

And by 'large' I mean 'around fifteen feet tall'.

"Holy-!" the guy backed up towards me. "What is that thing?"

"It's called a Shadow, and they like to eat peoples' brains!" I said, jamming my evoker to my head. "Thankfully, I know what to do in this situation!"

"Whoa, kid, wha-"

"ELIGOR!" **BANG**

The armored lancer surged through the air, driving his spear into the Gigas' torso. It seemed to do exactly nothing as the massive Shadow attempted to swat him away, only to hit nothing as the Persona vanished.

-Shit, and he's one of my stronger ones!-

"What the hell did you just do?" asked the guy. "Are you a Devil Summoner?"

"A what?"

"HULKSTER GONNA TAKE ON ALL COMERS!" shouted the Shadow before he tried to smash one of us with his fist. I dunno who he was aiming for because we all scattered. Koromaru started barking angrily at the Shadow. Pretty sure he doesn't like this thing."

"Hey, pal!" I yelled, looking at the other guy. "What's your name?"

"Naoki Kashima!" he responded. "You?"

"Roy Fortune!" I jammed my evoker against my head again. "Now just stay behind me while I stall this thing! KING FROST!" **BANG**

The King of Winter appeared and set loose a mighty blizzard at the Gigas, but again didn't really seem to do much in terms of actually hurting it.

"Sorry, I think I'll step in!"

Before I could protest, Naoki was running past me and parts of his body were glowing green. A large spike seemed to appear on the back of his neck as he suddenly leapt way higher than a normal person should be able to while lightning arced around his arms.

"Eat this!" he shouted, then slammed both his hands into the Shadow. What looked like a massive wave of electricity surged through the Shadow before Naoki let go and fell back to the ground. It staggered slightly as he landed, then shook its head and punched its fists together.

"TRY HARDER!" It proclaimed. "THE HULKSTER CAN TAKE IT!"

Naoki looked dumbfounded. "How is it still standing? That was point-blank! It should've been vaporized! What kind of Demon is this?"

"I wanna know how you did that, pal! And it's a Shadow, not a Demon!" I said, summoning Shade to try his hand at hurting this Shadow. It, once again, didn't do much. "Son of a bitch, what is this bastard made of?"

"I'll explain later, just hang back while I deal with this!" he shouted, then he braced himself. "See if this thing can take the heat!"

Naoki then proceeded to breathe goddamn fire at the Gigas. That actually seemed to do some damage to it, but it still tanked through it without really giving a damn.

"What is going on?" I shouted in unison with Naoki, then we had to dodge another attack.

"Dude, I swear to god these things don't usually come in this size or shrug off this much damage!" I told him. "I mean holy shit, I'm throwing the strongest dudes I have at this guy and they're not doing shit!"

"Well it has to have some kind of weakness!" He responded. "Demon, Shadow, whatever this monster is, SOMETHING has to hurt it!"

An angry bark cut through the air, drawing the Shadow's attention to the top of the jungle gym. Koromaru had somehow gotten up there and he didn't look happy. Before Naoki or I could move, Koro leapt at it. The tell-tale orange glow of a physical attack covered the Gigas' arm for a second before the sound of something cleaving steel filled the air. Koromaru let out a whine of pain as he flew back, landing near the shrine in a heap. There was a bit of blood on the ground near him, and not the 'Shows up with the Dark Hour' kind of blood.

"Koromaru!" I shouted, only to have to focus back on the Gigas as it once again tried to smash me.

A green shockwave hit the Shadow, causing it to stagger again. Naoki stood in front of me with swirls of green wind around him.

"Damn it, it's tougher than I though..." He grunted angrily. "I didn't want to have to do this, but..."

I couldn't really tell you what happened next, because all I remember is blinding, searing pain shooting through my entire body. I locked up and wasn't even breathing as the sound of Mitsuru and Fuuka screaming filled my mind. I sputtered and choked on air as I think Naoki said something. I couldn't tell. I think Pharos was shouting as well. And then, just as suddenly as it began, the pain stopped and I could breathe again. I crumpled to the ground like all the energy had left my body, coughing and gasping for breath. I couldn't hear the screaming in my head anymore.

"Roy, are you okay?" Pharos asked, running over to me and putting his hand on my shoulder.

-I... don't know... what... the fuck... happened...?-

"Shit, I can't go all out on this thing...!" I heard Naoki exclaim. "Wait... what the hell is happening to that dog?"

I shifted my head as best I could and saw Koromaru rising to his feet. A blue inferno was encircling his small body. He was growling, then he raised his head to the sky and let out a piercing howl. A large, wolf-like creature appeared looming over him.

_**'I am thou... and Thou art I...'**_

-What the...?-

_**'From the sea of thine soul, the resolution of thine heart calls forth new power...'**_

The wolf was suddenly enveloped in a pillar of fire for a moment, and when the flames died down an equally large, three-headed hellbeast was standing in its place.

_**'Sirius has given rise to Cerberus!'**_

-Holy hell, Koromaru has a Persona!-

Koromaru growled and barked again. Cerberus barked once, then all three of its heads howled at once. I heard the sound of an explosion as Naoki yelped in surprise, turning my head slightly to see that the giant Gigas was now engulfed in a massive beam of fire. The sound of it shrieking in pain until it was no more filled the air along side the howl of Cerberus. When the shrieks finally stopped, only then did the raging inferno dissipate and the Guardian of the Underworld cease his howling and disappear. Koromaru gave a short, gruff bark before he collapsed again.

"Koromaru...!" I grunted, staggering over to the wounded Shiba Inu with Pharos and Naoki right behind me. "You okay little buddy?"

Koromaru responded with a whimper as I noticed the blood pooling below him.

"Shit, he needs help...!" I started to reach for my evoker when Naoki held out his hand infront of me. Only now could I see the black and green markings that had appeared on his hand.

"I've got this." he said, then he made a hand sign with his left hand. "Pixie!"

In a quick burst of light and smoke, the familiar form of the tiny fairy in blue appeared.

"Hi hi~!" said Pixie with a cutesy voice. "'Bout time you called for help, Naoki-kun! But the doggie needs help more, so I'll bug you about it later! Healing for the doggie~!"

I stared silently as what looked like one of my Personas started healing Koromaru as Naoki stood by. I think Pharos was in a similar state.

"What..." began Pharos.

"...the fuck?" I finished for him.

Naoki looked at me like I was crazy. "You act like you've never seen a demon before."

I looked at him. "I haven't! Personae yes, Shadows also yes, but demons? Nope! That's a new feature for the crazy train!"

"Personae?" he asked. "But I saw you summon two demons to fight that creature..."

"Nope~!"

The three of us looked at the Pixie.

"He didn't summon demons, Naoki-kun!" she reported as she floated above Koromaru, her hands outstretched and radiating a warm glow over the wounded dog. "They just looked like demons. He's like those people from the places my friends once told me about!"

I stared at the Pixie. "You... know of other Persona Users...?"

She nodded. "Mmhm! Never met them, but I'm pretty sure they're nice! By the way, it's nice seeing you again, Stripey!"

"Uh... yeah..." replied Pharos uneasily. "L-Likewise...?"

-Wait, SHE CAN SEE YOU?-

"Apparently..."

"What is she talking about?" asked Naoki. "You and the dog are the only ones here..."

"Nope nope, he has another friend!" exclaimed Pixie in a sing-song voice. "Little boy in stripey clothes! Saw him before when I wanted to bop his friend on the nose!"

"Wait what?"

Pharos sighed. "It was that last time you met this guy. She was floating around your head trying to get you to notice her and almost tried to hit you in the face, but you really should be letting the others know the Shadow's taken care of."

-Oh right, gotta-

_[Roy-kun!]_

"GAH!" I jumped in surprised. -Holy...! Please don't startle me like that...-

_[Oh, I'm sorry... A-Anyway, are you alright? I can't detect the Shadow anymore but there's still two strong presences near you! What are they?]_

-You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so might be better to come see for yourself...-

_[We're already on the way. Mitsuru-senpai insisted after what happened...]_

I winced. -Oh yeah, I thought I heard you screaming earlier. Are you okay?-

_[I-I don't know... there was such a powerful reading I just...]_

-...Alright, I'll see if I can get some info out of one of my new pals here while I wait for you and the others to show up. How much longer you gonna be?-

_[Only a few minutes at the most.]_

"Hey, you okay?"

"Just a sec." -Alright, I'll be waiting.- "Sorry, psychic phone call. What were you saying?"

Naoki looked at me funny again. "Psychic phone call?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like." I replied with a shrug. "My friends wanted to know what was up with the patrol since the Shadow disappeared and they're on the way over here right now."

I hear an excited gasp and looked at Pixie. She seemed to be done healing Koromaru and now had an expression that screamed 'little girl who just got a pony for Christmas' on her face.

"Friends?" she asked. "Yay! I like making new friends!"

"Roy-san!" "Roy-kun!" "Dude!"

As if on cue, the sound of footfalls started coming up the steps as SEES arrived on the scene. Said scene currently consisted of me sitting next to a dog laying in a small pool of its own blood with a fairy hovering over it and some dude who's gone Super Saiyan or some shit about two feet away in the middle of creepy green blood and coffin hour at a Japanese shrine.

-I'm kinda convinced this would win an award for 'most surreal thing to actually happen' or something if there was an actual contest for this sort of thing.-

"Who're you?" asked Mitsuru pointedly the moment she got a look at Naoki, but she was slightly interrupted when Fuuka suddenly pushed past her with Aigis hot on her heels.

"Koro-chan!" "Roy-san!"

Fuuka went straight for Koromaru, while Aigis almost knocked Naoki over by accident as she headed towards me.

"Are you alright, Roy-san?" She asked as she knelt down next to me.

"Yeah..." I replied. "Dunno how I managed to avoid that thing hitting me..."

"Koro-chan, are you okay?"

Koromaru gave a short, weary bark.

"Yep yep, he's okay~!" giggled Pixie. "I helped the nice doggie!"

Naoki sighed as everyone else suddenly stared at Pixie.

"Pixie..."

The tiny demon sighed. "Fiiiine, I'll go hide again, Naoki-kun..." She pouted and crossed her arms. "Meanie."

With an audible 'poof', Pixie disappeared.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Shinjiro, likely voicing what everyone was thinking. "And who's the dude in the war paint?"

I looked at Naoki. "Admittedly, I wanna know what's up with you as well, but that has to wait a second because I'm sure Mitsuru-senpai wants to know what happened to the Shadow."

"Indeed..." She responded, her eyes still on Naoki. She seems rather on edge.

"Well, you see that scorch mark you guys are all standing in right now?"

They all looked down at their feet.

"Holy-! What did this?" asked Junpei.

"Koromaru."

They looked at Koro, then at me.

"Yeah, our little buddy over there has a Persona." I said. "Cerberus, Guardian of the Underworld. He kind of incinerated a fifteen foot tall Gigas Shadow that was able to take the strongest hits from my Personae and not feel it." I pointed my thumb at Naoki. "This guy tried fighting it too, but his attacks weren't doing much better despite his claims to that they were a lot more powerful."

"Well that's because Shadows aren't like Demons!" said the familiar voice of Pixie accompanied by another poof sound. "Not the same stuff! Demons can hurt them, but not very well. Dunno about how it works the other way around." She floated over and sat on Naoki's head. "Friends say Personas can hurt demons, though!"

Naoki sighed. "Pixie... why did you come back...?"

"Well, they prolly wanted to know!" she replied, crossing her arms. "So I let them know!"

"Awww, she's so cute~!" said Hamuko, holding out her arms. "C'mere, I wanna hug you~!"

Pixie flew right off Naoki's head and straight at Hamuko, latching onto the brunette's arm. "Yay hugs~!"

"...What the hell is all this...?" asked Akihiko.

I looked at Naoki again. "So. Care to explain why you have a Demon hanging around with you and why you look like something out of a sci-fi movie right now?"

He frowned slightly, seeming rather hesitant to say anything before he sighed. "Several years ago, I was caught in the middle of an apocalyptic scenario. Tokyo, perhaps the entire world even, I never found out for certain, became a realm filled with demons as several people attempted to remake the world how they saw fit. I was granted demonic power while retaining my own mind so as to perhaps help one of these people. I refused to help any of them, and set the world back to how it was."

"Seriously?" asked Yukari.

Shinjiro scoffed. "You actually believe this guy?"

"It's true, though." hummed Pixie from her new perch on Hamuko's head. "I helped him! I met him first, too! Didn't know him as Naoki-kun then, though. He said he was Hito-Shura the Demi-Fiend."

That last part caught my attention. "Wait what? HE'S the Demi-Fiend?"

Mitsuru's pointed gaze was suddenly turned on me. "You know this man, Fortune?"

I shook my head. "No, not exactly, but you know that Velvet Room place I talked about? Yeah, the guy in charge mentioned this dude before. He's apparently had some dealings with one Louis Cypher. For those who don't know the significance, that means he's met _LUCIFER_."

"Ugh, don't remind me..." Naoki groaned, rubbing his forehead. "At least I got him to stay in his own realm rather than poke around in ours..."

"So if you're some big shot half-demon thing or whatever..." began Junpei. "Why're you in Iwatodai?"

"I moved out here back in January because it seemed like a nice place to live." he replied simply, then looked around. "I wasn't expecting any of this, though..."

I finally stood up off the ground. "Well to be fair, nobody expects a time paradox full of brain eating monsters. If it makes you feel better, we're trying to get rid of this damn thing."

He seemed surprised. "Really? Interesting. I'd offer to help, but I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"Why not?" asked Fuuka from where she was still kneeling next to Koromaru.

Naoki pointed at me. "He looked like he was dying when I tried to use more of my power. I was barely using a quarter because I didn't think the monster would be able to withstand even that much. I was almost to seventy percent by the time I noticed he was in bad shape. If I'd actually gone all out, my mere presence might have killed him."

"Wait, so the searing pain that was shooting through literally all of me was just from you powering up?" I asked. "Holy shit dude, how strong are you?"

"He fought gods and demons." replied Pixie lazily. "Beat 'em up, too."

"That would explain what happened to Yamagishi and I..." noted Mitsuru, prompting a confused look from me. "I'm sure you heard us, Fortune. The others said they could as well."

I stared at Mitsuru. "You guys were having the same problem I was from all the way back at the dorm...? Damn..."

"I apologize." said Naoki, bowing deeply. "I didn't mean to cause you any harm... I need to mind my own strength at times..."

Koromaru barked.

"He said, 'You have an honorable soul, and my thanks for attempting to protect this place'." reported Aigis.

Junpei, Hamuko, Yukari, and I all looked right at her.

"...You speak dog?" the four of us asked at the exact same time.

"Canines do not have their own language." Aigis stated as she stood next to me. "However, speech is not the only means of communication."

"I'd ask, but at this point I just want to go home..." sighed Naoki. "I haven't felt this tired in a long time..."

I looked at Koromaru. "We should probably get Koromaru here to a vet. No offense intended here, but having a doctor look at him might be a good idea."

"It's okay, I just wanted to make sure the doggie was gonna be okay~!" chirped the tiny demon as if flitted through the air and over to Naoki, landing on his shoulder.

"I believe I'll be going now before this gets anymore complicated." said Naoki, bowing again. "Farewell."

Pixie waved from her perch as he walked away. "Bye bye, new friends!"

"Shouldn't we be asking him where he lives?" asked Akihiko as Naoki was heading down the steps.

"No, that won't be necessary." said Mitsuru. "Between myself and Yamagishi, finding him will be quite simple. It's also possible he won't remember this once the Dark Hour ends..."

"That'd simplify things..." I commented. "I think..."

* * *

><p>Once the whole vet situation for Koromaru was taken care of and after I got back from another slightly less brutal asswhooping at the hands of my composition teacher and her high school friend the next day, I had to give a run-down of everything that'd happened that I could actually remember, including the detail about whatever happened to Koromaru's Persona. Speaking of training, I actually managed to land some good hits this time around. Less so with Lisa, I swear it's like she's got some crazy ass background. Like she was some kind of underground cage fighter or something. Insane I know, but you should know by now that's how I am.<p>

Had a chat with Pharos that night, too. Usual 'week before the full moon' sort of thing. Spent the last day before the tournament-slash-sports fellowship thing having a few final brawls with Toriumi and Lisa. Toriumi I managed to beat, but Lisa... well...

**WHUD**

"Ow..." I groaned from my spot on the mat. "Well... it's official... You could probably kick the ass of every single person who's taught me anything about martial arts..."

Lisa laughed, offering her hand to help me back up. "Aiyah, I'm not that good. Chinyan would be upset if I got into a lot of fights..."

"And yet it took what, almost a year before Suou-senpai noticed you?" asked Toriumi from where she was sitting. "But at least it happened before he graduated. Might've been awkward if he hadn't..."

Lisa shot a glare at my teacher as she helped me get back up. "Isako-chan!"

Toriumi giggled. "Oh, calm down. You're still lucky you landed him. How many girls at school wanted him, again?"

"Half the population of the female student body." said an unfamiliar voice, drawing the attention of a few people as he approached the team. "Ah, apologies, am I interrupting...?"

Brown haired guy, sorta average build, wearing a red bike suit. Sun Arcana.

"Chinyan~!" exclaimed Lisa with a squeal as she practically launched herself at him with a death glomp. Sun dude seemed used to it, laughing at little before she let go enough to look him in the eye. "You're early today... practice isn't supposed to be over for another half hour."

He smiled. "You'll find out, don't worry."

"Hello, Suou-senpai." said Toriumi absently as the guys kept up the whole routine they'd been doing the past few days. "You're looking well."

Suou looked over at her. "Ah, thank you Isako-san..."

"Uh..." I began. "Hi there, your girlfriend has been using me as a punching bag for the past three days?"

He looked at me. "So I've heard. You must be the 'Be Like Water' kid."

"Guilty as charged." I replied, plopping down onto the bench next to Toriumi. "I'm Roy Fortune, nice to meet you and all that jazz..."

Suou seemed at least passingly amused. "Tatsuya Suou. Nice to make your acquaintance."

I paused, then slowly looked at Toriumi.

"...Coincidence?" I asked. She had to know what I was talking about.

She nodded. "Big one. Didn't even realize it at first."

"What're you two talking about?"

I looked at Tatsuya. "Eh, some stuff that happened on an online game."

"Still a gamer, Isako-chan?" Lisa giggled.

Toriumi huffed and crossed her arms. "Maybe..."

"I'm not getting involved any further." I said, holding my hands up. "I'd like to not have my teacher mark me down for being a smart ass."

That got Tatsuya and Lisa laughing again.

"No, I'd just beat you up again." Toriumi commented absently before taking a drink from her water bottle. "And you still need to work on a few things, now that I think about it."

I sighed and hung my head in defeat.

-Training from hell at its finest...-

"At least they're not strapping weights to your legs and making you do handstand push-ups."

-Oh god, don't remind me of the weird shit Zoe had me doing when she was teaching me back home...-

He grinned. "No even sorry."

-...Asshole.-

* * *

><p>So a few more rounds against some of the other guys, Kaz, Toriumi, and Lisa, and it was time to leave to rest because tomorrow is the day we all leave for the tournament and stuff. I got this really weird vibe from Tatsuya and Lisa a bit before I left, though. I'm not sure how to describe it. That aside, I actually ended up walking to the station with Toriumi, and we kinda got to making somewhat idle conversation.<p>

"Ugh..." she groaned, stretching her arms over her head. "I don't mind a good workout, but my muscles are sore..."

"My everything is sore." I sighed. "And did you have to kick me that hard?"

She grinned. "Maybe."

I sighed again. "Well, training and all that is over so hopefully I won't have to spar with you again... keyword being 'hopefully', mind you."

"You're no slouch yourself." Toriumi commented. "Your file mentioned some martial arts clubs, but I wasn't expecting what I saw."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you live in a town with roughly ten or twelve lunatics as your main circle of friends for around ten years." I said. "Not counting the family friends who also mysteriously happen to be in some way capable of kicking ass or my Uncle Shane."

She seemed surprised. "Sounds like an interesting upbringing."

"Interesting isn't even the half of it, trust me." I told her. "By the way, what happened to Ekoda after the whole thing with Saori-san?"

"Oh, he got fired." replied Toriumi. "I'm still surprised it hadn't happened sooner in all honesty."

I whistled. "Damn. Guess that whole thing was the straw that broke the camel's back. But hey, at least now none of us have to put up with the bastard anymore."

"Mmhm." she hummed. "And I'll never have to hear him lecture me for making small errors in my gradebook ever again."

"Wow, he really got his underwear in a wrinkle over that?"

Toriumi rolled her eyes. "Oh, like you wouldn't believe. He went on and on about me having to..." she held up her hands to make finger quotes "...'Set an example'. He thought he was all that because he was a history teacher..."

"Five hundred yen says he doesn't even have a computer." I said with a smirk.

She laughed. "Ha, I bet he has an abacus! Talk about old school with one of those..."

**CRASH**

-Oh hello there, spooky voices.-

_Thou shall have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hermit Arcana..._

-Nifty.- "Yeah, but who even cares anymore? The bastard's gone, so why give a damn?"

"Exactly." she agreed with a nod.

* * *

><p>There was a bit more idle chatter before we split up at Iwatodai Station. I went to bed kinda early after we had to go over the whole Koromaru thing again with Ikutsuki. Why nobody just took notes the first time and then handed them to him when he showed up is beyond me. The next morning, after convincing Aigis that it would be more tactically sound to have her stay at the dorm as opposed to coming with me, Hamuko, Pharos, and I departed for the station to meet up with our teams. We didn't have to wait long, as basically everyone turned up about five minutes after we got there, so the lot of us piled onto the train and began the trip to Inaba.<p>

Along the way, a few members of the Kendo, Tennis, Track, and Mixed Martial Arts teams all learned that I do not gamble when I play poker. No, I win and take your money and punch you if you don't pay up. Granted, we just used improvised poker chips instead of actually money, but still. I won a lot and nobody wants to ever play poker with me ever again unless my only involvement is dealing the cards. Spoil sports.

Silly junk aside, the first day of the tournament slash fellowship was the first rounds of competition between the schools and stuff. Gekkoukan's top opponents were three schools, St. Hermelin, Seven Sisters, and Kasugayama. The others I forget the names of already, which is probably a bad sign of my attention span. As luck would have it, Kasugayama was our opponent in the first round. Between me and Kaz, though, they didn't really stand a chance. Kaz moreso than me because DAMN, without that leg injury slowing him down anymore he was just kicking all kinds of ass!

I found out later from Hamuko that Yuko got her and the Tennis Club in a bit of a bind by shooting her mouth off instead of being at the tournament like she was supposed to, and that she wanted to have vengeance. I bring that up because it kept Hamuko from tagging along to visit my uncle, though admittedly I got a bit lost on my way through Inaba because I sorta bailed before we got directions to the Inn we're supposed to be staying at. Pharos, naturally, tagged along with me rather than following Hamuko and thus helping me out.

"You're totally lost, aren't you?" he asked as we walked along a street near a floodplain. "Just ask the next person you pass for directions or something."

I sighed. "Alright, fine... jeez, how do I get lost in a town this small...?"

I was distracted from my complaining by the sound of a dog barking. And it sounded like a rather large dog. I was in fact correct, because I was very promptly tackled by a very large dog as I believe I heard its owner calling out to get the dog to stop.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" asked a girl's voice. "I'm so sorry, he gets excited around people sometimes!"

The large dog barked again, now breathing in my face a little as he just sorta stared at me.

"I'm fine..." I replied. "But uh... can you get him off...? He's standing on my lungs..."

"Bec! Snack time!"

The dog suddenly turned its head and barked again, hopping off of me and scampering over to where his owner was. Once I got to my feet, I saw who said owner was. Short girl with a green jacket tied around her waist, short brown hair, and Chariot Arcana. How she wasn't knocked over by a dog bigger than she was is beyond me. She was dangling some brand of dog treat infront of her pet, then gave it to him once he sat down all obedient like and stuff.

"Good boy." she cooed, petting him a few times before giving me an apologetic smile. "Sorry again. You sure you're okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah... and the fact I can say I've had worse things happen to me than getting pounced on by a dog kinda worries me."

The girl laughed. "Wow, that's... kinda sad, dude. You're not from around here though, are you?"

"Nah, my school's here for that sports tournament thing at Yasogami High."

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, you're the ones staying at the Amagi Inn, right? My best friend's family owns the place."

"Really? That's cool." I commented. "But, I'm kinda lost. I'm looking for my Uncle's place. He runs a metalworks here and I don't actually know where it is..."

She blinked. "You're related to Old Man Daidara? Wow, didn't think he'd have a nephew out in the city... but if you're looking for his store, it's in the Shopping District." She turned and pointed back in the direction she'd come from. "Just go down this way for a little longer and you should find a sign that points you towards the district. Shouldn't be too hard to find after that."

I smiled. "Thanks, much appreciated... um..."

She laughed nervously. "Oh, right, I'm Chie Satonaka. And no thanks necessary, I don't mind helping out tourists who get lost as long as they're polite."

"Really? Still, though. Thanks, Chie-san." I bowed slightly. "I'm Roy Fortune, by the way."

Chie seemed puzzled. "Fortune? Are you from overseas?"

"No, my dad was, though." I admitted. "But I should probably get going, knowing my luck I hafta be back at that Inn before it gets too late. Thanks again, and see ya later!"

Chie waved as I started jogging away with Pharos right behind me.

"She seemed nice enough." Pharos commented absently. "If everyone in this town is like that, it wouldn't be too bad of a place to live once all the Dark Hour stuff is over, huh?"

"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there." I said. "I know I'd like to spend more time with Uncle Kihei..."

* * *

><p>Chie's instructions were right on the money, and I found my way to the Shopping District easily. Rather than waste a bunch more time wandering aimlessly around the place, I went over to a gas station right on the edge of the district. Seemed to be an attendant on call at the moment.<p>

"Ah, excuse me!" I said as I approached. "Can I ask you a question?"

The attendant looked at me curiously, then smirked. "Just did."

"Hardy har har, I meant besides that." I deadpanned. "Anyways, do you know where the metalworks in this shopping district is?"

They gave me a weird look. "The metalworks? It shouldn't be too far in, just past the bookstore right around the corner."

-...Welp.- "Oh. Well, thank you."

"You're welcome." They replied with a smile. "You from out of town, I take it?"

"Yeah, here for some stuff for school and thought I'd visit some family out here."

The attendant chuckled. "Well, I hope you have a pleasant visit." They held out their hand to me. "If ya ever come back, we might have an opening for part time work here."

I laughed, reaching for the attendant's hand on instinct. "Ha, thanks. I'll keep tha-" The moment I touched their hand, I felt some kind of almost electrical jolt go through my body. "-OUCH, cripes!" I pulled my hand back and shook it a few times, The attendant did the same, with a similar look of confusion on their face. "Jeez... crazy ass static electricity or somethin'... Anyways, thanks! Catch ya later!"

The attendant nodded slowly as I walked away. "Yeah... you're quite welcome..."

I kept shaking my hand as I was going.

-Geez, that really hurt... the hell kind of static was that...?-

"I dunno Roy, but I got a weird vibe from that lady..."

I looked at Pharos. -That was a lady? I couldn't tell...-

"You obviously weren't looking close enough."

Eyebrow. -And you were, you little perv?-

He opened his mouth, then realized what he said and sighed. "I walked right into that one..."

-Oh hell yeah yo- I stopped. -...Pharos there's a door to the Velvet Room outside my uncle's shop.-

"There is?"

-Yeah... No idea why, but we can check it out before we leave.-

"Alright..." he agreed uneasily as I approached the door to the shop. Slid open the door and walked right in, the sound of someone banging on a hunk of metal becoming more readily apparent. The man behind the counter slammed his hammer once last time before setting it aside, letting out a sigh and stretching his back.

"Welcome to my..." He began as he turned around, then he froze once he saw me. He looked like he'd seen a ghost or something. "...Shop..."

I smiled sheepishly. "Hi Uncle Kihei. Been a while, huh?"

He just stared at me slack jawed for about a solid minute, then the biggest grin spread across his face.

"Roy!" he bellowed, walking around the counter and proceeding to grab and hug the everloving shit out of me. "Haha, Shane told me you'd be over here, but I didn't think you'd get to visit!"

I weakly hugged back because -Holy shit my spine should not bend like this.- "Well... stuff happened... and now I can't breathe..."

Kihei let me go and patted me on the shoulder. "Ah, sorry. Just been a while since I last saw you is all! Damn, you've gotten big since then..."

"Yeah, Uncle Shane was grumpy I took after dad in that regard as well." I laughed, moving a little to try and keep my back from getting messed up or something. "So how've you been?"

"Good, good." he said, leading me past the counter and into a kitchen in the back of his shop. "Could be better if more people were interested in my art, but I still manage pretty well. Plus the town pays pretty well to keep me around for the festivals." He sat down in a chair next to a small table, and I took a seat nearby. "Mayor said my fireworks are always a big hit."

Yeah, my uncle works with high explosives, too. He's kind of just completely awesome in my opinion. "Well, better than getting run out of business or something."

Kihei groaned. "Oh, don't get me started on that. There's talk around town that some big branch outlet store wants to set up here in Inaba and a few of my neighbors have been having fits because of it."

Eyebrow. "What, worried about competition? I mean, even big stores can only offer so much. Specialty stores would be fine because they'd have a better selection."

"That's exactly what I told 'em!" He exclaimed. "But no, Konishi kept making a fuss till Old Lady Shiroku got him to shut the hell up." He sighed. "I swear, you'd think someone died the way he was carrying on about it..."

"Sounds like a hassle..." I commented absently, scratching my neck a little. It was about then I noticed something I wasn't expecting. "...Daikokuten...?"

He seemed to stop in place for a second. "...Pardon?"

I blinked. "Daikokuten. Emperor Arcana. What in the name of...?"

"You okay, Roy?" He asked, now suddenly looking very uneasy.

"...Since when the hell have you had a Persona?" I asked. "Like, holy shit, I only awoke mine back in April, but goddamn...!"

Kihei's eyes widened. "You've got one?"

I stared at my uncle in silence for a good three or four minutes before I started talking. "I've got like ten. One that's actually supposed to reflect me, and a bunch of others who just sort of tool around inside my brain. Because I'm magical or some shit, I don't get it."

"Ten...? Wait, you're a Wild Card?"

Now it was my turn to look surprised again. "You know about that?"

He nodded. "Yeah. You seen the blue door outside, right? Got recruited by someone who works in that place to help out some guy who's gonna get let into that place a little ways down the road."

"Holy hell, Roy!" exclaimed Pharos. "Is your family some kind of insanity magnet?"

-MUST BE, PHAROS!- "So Igor's got you on his payroll now? Doing what?"

Kihei pulled a sheathed katana out of a small barrel in the corner. "Turning Shadow Remains into weapons like this."

"That's a thing that's possible?" I asked in unison with Pharos. "Dude, that's cool."

He laughed. "I guess. I'm gonna assume the stuff I've been getting has been from your whole connection to the Velvet Room. Theodore's been bringing stuff he said his sister's been getting from their guest."

Eyebrow. "Theodore?"

"Ah, youngest of three siblings who work for Igor." He replied. "Elizabeth I've only met once, and Margaret, their older sister, I've only heard mentioned by name."

I frowned. "So if they know about this, why not tell me?"

"Well, to be fair to them, this is supposed to concern the guy coming along after your whole thing is done, not you." He said. "At least, that's what they told me when I asked a similar question."

I sighed. "Well, I suppose I can't fault them then. They did say they'd share stuff relevant to my problems..."

"Speaking of which, what are you problems?" asked Kihei. "I know it's got something to do with the Dark Hour, but that's about it."

"Oh, have I got a story to tell you, then..."

* * *

><p>I spent the next few hours bringing my Uncle up to speed on all things related to Tartarus and the like. He was skeptical about Aigis, but admitted he was willing to accept it as a possibility given Personae and all that being way more impossible, semi-logically speaking anyways. It started getting late, and right before I was getting ready to leave, things got a bit... well, crazy in the normal sense of the word 'crazy'.<p>

"Ah, not these punks again..." sighed Kihei once we started to hear what I think are motorcycle engines.

"What punks?"

He looked at me. "Ah, some dumbass biker assholes have been hanging around town for the past few months. More annoying than anything else, really..."

I was about to ask about it, when suddenly the door opened.

"Hey, Old Man Daidara, you in here?"

Uncle Kihei and I got up and went out to his shop. Some guy with black hair, looked about middle school age aside from the fact he was surprisingly tall. Emperor Arcana.

"Yeah, why?" my uncle asked.

"Cuz I'm borrowin' this!" said the kid, yanking a shield off the wall. "I'll bring it back when I'm done!"

"Wait, hold it!" Kihei shouted, but the kid was already out the door. "Damn it...!"

I sighed, then started for the door. "Take it easy, I'll go see what's up out there!"

"Just be careful, okay?"

I looked over my shoulder at my uncle and grinned. "Sure thing."

I managed to catch sight of the kid running deeper into the shopping district. I took off after him, following him as best I could. He got out another entrance to the district, and once I got there I noticed how much louder the bikes were. The air was then split by a battle cry of 'TAKIN' YOU PUNKS DOWN!' before I started hearing engines shutting off. I looked around and spotted that kid, Big McLargeHuge, fighting what looked like about thirty or so biker punks with his bare hands and that shield.

And winning.

"The hell is your problem, a-" the biker who was talking was promptly interrupted by a shield to his face.

"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU ASSHOLES!" roared Rip Steakface. "BASTARDS AIN'T GOT NO COMMON DECENCY!"

Smash Lampjaw's next... I dunno, ten or so minutes was spent promptly kicking the ass of every single biker asshole without a single cry for help or anything on his own part. I actually heard one of the bikers shouting for someone to get Pete Punchbeef away from them at one point.

"Roy, pick a nickname for the guy and stick with it already."

-He gets the many names of David Ryder because it amuses me, Pharos!-

Smoke Manmuscle sighed as he stood over the unconscious bodies of the entire biker gang, then he spotted me and scowled.

"The hell do you want?" he asked.

"Uh, the shield?" I said, pointing a the hunk of metal in his hand. "You kinda took it from my Uncle's shop and I'm pretty sure he's gonna want it back."

Buck Plankchest blinked, then looked at the now dented shield in his hand. "Oh, uh... here then..."

He tossed the shield towards me and I caught it without hurting myself. "Thanks pal."

Roll Fizzlebeef's answer was interrupted by a police siren and a rapidly approaching white SUV.

"Ah... shit..." he groaned.

The SUV pulled to a stop a short ways away, and a tall-ish, fairly grizzled looking guy stepped out. Beige shirt, a tie, black pants, and a look on his face and an air about him that suggested he would be the 'Non-nonsense' straight man to some comically inept rookie he got partnered up with in a Buddy Cop Movie. Heirophant Arcana.

"...What the hell is this?" asked the Officer. Had to be a cop because otherwise he wouldn't have the siren or flashing light on top of his car.

I instantly pointed at Butch Deadlift. "He kicked the shit out of those bikers by himself. I just kinda watched because I figure'd I'd wait till he was done to ask for this shield back." I held it up. "He kinda took it from my Uncle's shop and used it to fight those guys."

Blast Hardcheese glared at me. "Tch."

The Officer sighed. "So you expect me to believe Tatsumi here used that shield and his bare hands to fight all those unconscious guys over here? Alone?"

I nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean I was standing like three feet back from where I am now when he did it and it went on for about ten minutes. It was kind of awesome if you ask me, Officer."

"Hmph." grunted the Cop. "I'll take your word for it, then. The report was about one person with dark hair getting in an altercation with the bikers, nothing about a foreigner being involved."

"Oh, okay then..." I said, then I held up the shield. "So, can I take this back to my uncle's shop or did you need it for evidence?"

The Officer shook his head. "If I need it, I'll go see Daidara-san. That is who you're talking about, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Visiting from outta town."

"Then go take it back. And stay out of trouble during your visit." He said, then he looked at Tatsumi. "You, on the other hand, have to come with me."

Tatsumi crossed his arms and started muttering as I walked away with the shield tucked under my arm.

"Roy, seriously, your luck is freaky as hell." commented Pharos.

-I know. And like I said before, it scares me.-

* * *

><p>Uncle Kihei wanted to know why he heard a police siren when I got back, and I informed him about the cop who showed up. When I described the guy, Uncle Kihei said his name was Dojima and he was a Detective for the Inaba Police Department, having lived in the town for quite some time. I think he mentioned something about the Dojima guy's sister, but my head started feeling like someone was trying to split it open so I opted to just get ready to leave. Got directions to the Amagi Inn, where the sports teams are staying, from him while I took some aspirin so my head would throb less.<p>

Of course, once I got to the inn and up to the room I was in, I just sort of stared at the scene before me.

"...Kaz, I said no wild parties without me!" I stated with mock offense. Kaz was sitting on the floor with Rio, Yuko, and Hamuko. "And why are you three even in here?"

"Yuko-chan said Kaz-kun was all alone so I thought we should keep him company." replied Hamuko. "You just bailed on us, after all."

I frowned. "So what, I can't visit my uncle?"

"Awww, you went without me?" she whined. "I wanted to meet him..."

"Your uncle lives here?" asked Kaz.

"Yeah, runs a metalworks." I said. "But seriously, besides Kaz being lonely, why are you three here?"

"Ghost stories." Rio stated. "Yuko-chan wanted to have a good luck charm."

Yuko glared at Rio and lightly punched her in the arm. "N-No I didn't! I-I just have to keep an eye on him so he doesn't hurt himself again!"

"Sure you do, Yuko-chan..." giggled Hamuko. "C'mon Roy-kun, have a seat."

I shrugged, casually taking off my hat and jacket. "Sure, why not..."

* * *

><p>A buncha ghost stories and a mysterious blackout later, and the girls left for their room while me, Kaz, 'n Pharos passed out. Unfortunately for me, that headache was back and in full force when I woke up. I got some more aspirin before the tournament resumed, but man was I grouchy as all hell. I think I took it out on the poor bastards I had to fight, too. Especially in the finals against this guy named Mamoru Hayase. He fought like some kind of monster, but with a headache-induced rage boost and the Training from Hell the past few days, I managed to beat the dude. Kaz was beside himself with excitement and disappointment because he wanted to fight that guy, though.<p>

"I still can't believe you beat Hayase!" he exclaimed as we relaxed after the ending ceremony and all that jazz. "I always heard he annihilates his opponents, and those matches earlier proved it, but you still schooled that guy!"

I shrugged. "Got lucky, I guess. That, and ten plus years of bizarre training and crap might have something to do with it."

"Ha! Guess so." Kaz laughed, patting me on the shoulder. "Can't wait to see Kita's face when he watches the tape of the tournament."

"Yeah, you destroyed dudes left and right out there." I said. "Hell, you still scored better than I did!"

He grinned. "Well, I had a good training partner after all."

I smiled back. "Happy to help, Kaz." Fist bump.

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Chariot Arcana..._

-Woo!-

"We should probably pick up the pace, though..." Kaz commented. "Gotta pack up before we leave tomorrow..."

"Yeah, that we do." I replied with a bob of my head. "Let's roll."

* * *

><p>That damn headache still wouldn't go away despite my best efforts. That said, something weird happened that night after I went to sleep.<p>

"...The hell?" I asked aloud, looking around. I was standing in some kind of fog-filled place on some kinda platform. "What is this...?"

_'You... are unusual...'_

-The fuck? Where's that voice coming from?-

_'What manner of power do you possess, I wonder...?'_

I frowned, then started walking forward carefully. The fog was thick enough to make it hard for me to see where I was going.

_'So, you can still see despite the fog... most interesting...'_

"What's going on?" I demanded. "Where am I?"

The voice merely chuckled instead of answering. I kept walking and eventually found a door. I touched it and it opened up in an impossible looking way. Like, it folded into itself. Once past the door, I saw a silhouette of someone.

"Where am I, asshole?"

The figure shifted slightly. _'In my realm, naturally. One such as yourself... you have sparked my interest... Just what are you?'_

Eyebrow. "A person, now let me leave."

The figure laughed again. _'No. You shall remain until I am satisfied.'_

My head started hurting again, but it felt different. Like something was in there telling me to be on guard.

"And if I refuse?" I asked, shifting my stance.

_'You cannot escape.'_ replied the figure. _'I have made sure of that.'_

An instinct started taking over as I raised my right arm. "Guess I'll just have to bust my way out, then!"

I clenched my hand into a fist, and suddenly it felt like I'd just used an Evoker on myself. Something shot out from behind me, swinging at the figure.

-What the hell...? Is that a Persona...?-

The figure vanished, and the thing I summoned stopped moving, then stood up straighter. It seemed to have six arms, some manner of wide-brimmed hat, and a long jacket. It turned its head towards me, revealing four eyes glowing yellow.

_'So there is more to you than I had presumed...'_ said the figure, becoming visible some distance to the left of where it had been standing before. _'But this...'_

"Just let me out of here!" I snapped. The thing I summoned charged at the figure again, its fists arcing with lightning as it struck at the figure. It didn't hit, but there was a loud crash of thunder and a bolt of electricity when its three right arms hit the ground.

_'And more dangerous than anticipated...'_ noted the figure, appearing way off to the right now. _'This is not a confrontation I had been expecting...'_

The fog suddenly got thicker and I lost tract of both the Persona thing I summoned and the Mysterious Figure. I could barely even see my legs.

_'Begone from this place...'_

And then it all went black.

* * *

><p>I jolted upright, looking around quickly. I was back in the Inn now, and it was the Dark Hour. Pharos was looking at me and he seemed concerned.<p>

"You okay?" he asked.

I shook my head. It was still hurting. "No idea... just had a weird dream... if that's what it actually ways, anyways..."

"Weird how?"

"I'll tell you on the way back to the dorm." I replied, laying back down. "Gonna be working on the journal on the train ride."

Pharos hummed. "Alright then. Goodnight, Roy."

"G'night..."

* * *

><p>I didn't have any more weird dreams, but the damn headache just wouldn't go away. I tried to avoid agitating myself as much as possible. I'm really cranky when I have a headache, especially one this bad, so that mostly amounted to me not really saying anything at all. We got a send off from a girl who's family runs the inn. Hamuko said her name was Yukiko and she lead the teams to the Inn yesterday right after I bailed to go visit my Uncle. Speaking of Kihei, he was waiting at the train station and passed along a couple heavy boxes to me and Hamuko. He said they were for 'good luck', and Hamuko said straight to his face he was the most badass looking relative ever.<p>

A rather shenanigan-free trip later, and we got back to the dorm.

"We're home everybody~!" sang Hamuko as we pushed open the door.

"Hey, welcome back!" said Junpei, looking up from his PSP. "Whoa, what's with the moving boxes?"

I shrugged, setting the boxes I had down. "No clue. My uncle gave 'em to me before we left."

"They're heavy, too..." complained Hamuko, setting down the one she was carrying. "What's in them?"

Yukari walked over to us. "You probably won't know unless you open them."

"Yeah, but if they are what I think they are, I'll just stick 'em up on the top floor and open 'em up later." I said. "It's late, I've got a headache, and blah blah blah..."

"Roy, are you sure you okay?" asked Pharos.

-No, not really... Might just need more rest or something...- "So, anyone gonna help me with these or what...?"

* * *

><p>Author Notes - If you can spot how many minor details will have a payoff either in this story or Norimoto Style, you win a cookie. And sorry for the long delay, as I mentioned in the Review Answers, Borderlands 2 came out and IT KIND OF ATE MY ABILITY TO BE PRODUCTIVE. I wanna say I'll get back in the swing of things soon, but I'm not because I don't wanna get peoples hopes up for nothing.<p> 


	13. Spider Magic

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**P.T. Piranha** - Yes, yes it was. I enjoy cameos quite a lot, actually.

**Evilshroom** - Just for you, I'll have 'Slab Bulkhead' turn up in Norimoto Style. And if you want to see the fog persona's actually appearance, go to my tumblr(linked on my profile) and click on the button labeled 'Headcanon: P3'. His appearance is the second image on the page, but if you don't want any spoilers, DON'T READ ANY OF THE TEXT ON THAT PAGE.

**Overlord Duelist** - Borderlands 2 is completely amazing and I regret nothing about buying it.

**FrozenxRose** - Well it's like how Roy had trouble breathing around Shinjiro earlier in the story, which is a nod to how Shadows in P3 would run AWAY from the party if you were overleveled enough. I applied something similar with Hito-Shura since he may as well canonically be the most goddamn hardcore SMT Protagonist ever.

**Guest** - Actually, it's only Persona Users capable of detecting power that were affected. The rest of SEES didn't notice at all. But no, that wasn't the last we've seen of Naoki. He won't be joining the fight directly, but he does live in Iwatodai.

I'd like to thank **P.T. Piranha** for Beta Editing this. And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Four goddamn fucking days I've had this stupid headache and it shows exactly no sign of going away! It's persistent as all hell, and for some reason it just sorta eases up in the Dark Hour. I mentioned it to Mitsuru on the fifth, but she said it couldn't be because of Evokers or anything, so I'm still going to be leading the Operation later tonight because of the whole 'It is less painful in the Dark Hour' bit. The past few days didn't really have anything worth mentioning going on aside from opening the boxes my uncle gave me(they had some very well crafted weapons inside for us to use for the curious), so besides knocking back a glass of water to wash down the aspirin I took as a precaution, there wasn't much but mundane stuff going on while we waited for the Dark Hour. Once it hit, Fuuka got to work looking for the Shadow.<p>

"Any luck, Yamagishi?" asked Mitsuru.

Fuuka was quiet for a moment. _{Yes, I've located it... and this time, it's not just an ordinary one.}_

"Now that's more like it." said Akihiko with that excited tone that always makes Mitsuru roll her eyes whenever he uses it.

_{It's by the deserted houses in the northern part of Iwatodai.}_ reported Fuuka. _{But, there is one thing that's strange... it seems like it's almost ten meters underground.}_

"Underground?" murmured Yukari. "So is it in some kind of basement then?"

"According to my records, there is no structure in the area that matches those criteria." stated Aigis. "However, in the past there was an underground facility that was used by the military."

Hamuko seemed a little nervous. "The military...? So it's like a weapons bunker or something?"

"It's possible." said Ikutsuki. "The architectural and geographical data for the area was uploaded into her memory bank, though the information is a decade out of date."

Aigis nodded. "That is correct."

"Uh, wouldn't updating that be a high priority...?" asked Junpei, though nobody really seemed to pay him any mind.

"So, how should we interpret this? If the information is out of date, we're flying blind." Akihiko said.

Shinjiro scoffed. "We just go there and find out first had."

"I agree, though we should be careful." said Mitsuru. "We'll wait until we arrive to determine who should be deployed for the Operation."

"Sounds like a plan." I commented from where I was laying on the sofa. "The aspirin I took should kick in by the time we get there so my head won't be hurting as much..."

Fuuka looked at me as her Persona vanished. "Are you sure you can do this, Roy-kun?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I groaned as I sat up. "Little headache won't stop me, and like I said, took some aspirin to help manage it. So let's get this show on the road, people!"

* * *

><p>It wasn't a super long ways away, so we made it to the location without burning up too much of the Dark Hour. Sure enough, we found a way in and it screamed 'this was used by the military' like you strapped a neon sign the size of a cruise liner to it.<p>

"The target should be around here..." said Fuuka from wherever she was standing behind me. I was rather distracted looking down the huge tunnel that went deeper underground that was right infront of us.

"Well done..."

I whirled around, as did the rest of SEES. Two guys were walking in trough the massive gate we just passed through. One was a pale hippie looking dude with no shirt, tattoos on both arms, and a rather large revolver holstered in the belt of his jeans, the other guy had weirdly styled blue hair, a weird green jacket, heavy pants, glasses, a briefcase in one hand, and a fucking _grenade_ in the other.

"Who invited the hippie and the bomb squad reject?" I asked.

Hippie dude scoffed. "This is the first time we've met in person, I assure you."

"Who are these guys?" asked Fuuka. "Lucia didn't sense a thing until now!"

-That is a good question, because I'm staring right at these two and even I can't really get a good read on them aside from the fact they're not too terribly powerful compared to any single member of SEES. Wait, hold the phone, they have Personas? What the hell?-

"Careful, Roy." said Pharos. "Don't start something without a plan."

-Yeah, yeah, I know...-

"My name is Takaya." said the Hippie, then he indicated his friend. "This is Jin. We are known to some as Strega, and we've been keeping an eye on you... From what we hear, you've undertaken a 'righteous'-" He made finger quotes with one hand for that. "-battle to save the world. But, we've come here tonight to put an end to that dream. You've gained new allies, yet this land still crawls with-"

-...Y'know what, fuck plans.- "Wow you guys are dumb."

Jin glared at me. "What'd you say?"

"You came here to stop us." I began. "You had the drop on us till your friend started talking. If you wanted to, you probably could've ambushed us and maybe taken us out. But now we know you're here, we know you're not on our side, and you're outnumbered eight to two in terms of combatants." I crossed my arms. "So yeah, you're really dumb. Why the hell do you even wanna stop us, anyways?"

Jin scoffed. "You call us stupid and can't even figure out the obvious? If the Shadows and Dark Hour disappear, then so will our power. We can't let that happen, now can we?"

"Power...?" parroted Mitsuru. "Don't tell me you're Persona-users as well!"

Now Takaya laughed. "Why don't you use that pretty little head of yours for a change? Only a select few wield the power of a Persona, and the Dark Hour is a frontier that is ours alone to explore..." His lips curled into a sinister grin. "Just like the Tower of Demise..."

"THAT'S your reason?" sputtered Yukari. "Are you crazy? There's no telling what will happen if we don't do something about the Shadows!"

"What difference does it make?" asked Takaya. "There will always be disasters, whether they are caused by Shadows or arise from human folly. No one can predict the future, but that is all beside the point... Surely you will acknowledge the sense of significance the Dark Hour has-"

"Okay, first off, shut up, nobody cares." I said. "Second, go away. You're outnumbered, outmatched by any two of us, and rapidly pissing me off. Third, stay the fuck out of our way. You two are about as threatening as a piece of lint with mental capacities to match." I turned around and started walking towards the tunnel, leaning my head back as I scratched my neck with my left hand. "Don't let the door hit your stupid ass on the way ou-"

**BLAM**

I heard shouting as I pitched forward from the impact of the gunshot, only to catch myself with my right leg, my Evoker pressed to the bottom of my chin. "PERSONA!"

**BANG**

Whatever Persona I summoned shot back towards the two Strega morons, hitting them like a ton of bricks.

"See!" I said, standing up and taking off my hat. There's now a bullet lodged in it. "We're prepared for combat, and all you have is a pair of pants and a... revolver..."

I trailed off as I turned around, getting a look at the Persona I summoned. Tall, as most Personae are, but this one had six arms, a long jacket, and a wide brimmed fedora. He loomed with his back to me as he held one Strega punk with two arms each, the duo struggling to get free of the Persona's grip. His head turned towards them one at a time, revealing two eyes on each side of his face, which seemed to be covered by a mask of some sort.

-...Pharos... What the fuck?-

"No idea, just roll with it like it's normal." he suggested. "It's all you can do."

-Fair enough.- "...And your buddy has a single hand grenade. Big whoop."

"Ngh! What the hell?" shouted Jin. "How're you still alive?"

I laughed. "To quote the father of a friend of mine, 'If you must turn your back, don't expose your neck'." I worked to pry the bullet out of my hat. "The stuff we're using is rated against the kind of shit Shadows throw at us, so even a bullet from a gun like that won't really do much." -I actually didn't know this stuff Elizabeth has been handing out is bulletproof so this was actually a far dumber decision than I'd first thought. Go me.-

Takaya glared at me. "I must admit, you're rather clever. But even still. You can't deny your life has been improved because of the Dark Hour. Or do you truly wish to return to a pathetic, ordinary life?"

I finally worked the bullet out of my hat. -Fuuka, if you're listening, please reassure everyone I know what's going on.-

{A-Alright...}

-Thank you.- "My life hasn't been ordinary for over ten years, pal." I put my hat back on and flicked the bullet over my shoulder. "Probably never will be ever again even after the Dark Hour is gone, but hey, variety is the spice of life. Now, would you kindly get the fuck out of here?"

As I finished my sentence, the Persona tossed the two of them towards the large gate. They grunted in pain as they hit the ground on the other side of it.

"Oh, and if you somehow think locking us in here will do any good, our target is down that tunnel behind us so really, you'd only be making it harder for us to leave." I said. "Have fun, dumbasses."

"Bastard...!" snarled Jin. "You'll regret this...!"

I crossed my arms, and the Persona did the same. "No, I don't really think I will." I then clapped my hands together before I pointed down the tunnel. Again, the Persona mimicked my actions. "Alright guys, let's get back to business, shall we?"

* * *

><p>We left Strega in a heap as we went deeper into the tunnel. The Persona had vanished by that point, and once we were out of earshot of them, I sighed.<p>

"Okay, truth time. I have no idea where the hell any of that came from." I stated, breaking the silence. "Not the Persona, not the attitude, not even how I arrived at the conclusion my hat is bulletproof." I turned around and started walking backwards. "It was like I was running on instinct, but on the bright side it feels like my headache is completely gone!"

Shinjiro looked at me. "So, what? Your 'instincts' caused you to be a huge showboating asshole?"

I shrugged. "I guess. I haven't been feeling right since the Tournament, so maybe that had something to do with it." I scratched the side of my face. "Though admittedly, the observations about those Strega guys was pretty much spot on. Like, the only ones of us here who can actually fight who probably wouldn't be able to take on both of them alone is Yukari, if only because of her preferred weapon."

"How can you be sure?" asked Hamuko.

"Well, since my ability to detect the power of Personae requires me to be staring at the Persona-user, I got as good a feel as I could get for those guys." I said. "And really, they're not anything special. The only thing to worry about is the fact Fuuka apparently couldn't see them coming, so they really could ambush us and it might not end well."

"That alone makes them dangerous, Fortune." said Mitsuru with a stern tone. "We'll have to remain on guard at all times."

"What about that Persona you summoned, though?" asked Junpei. "I've never seen that one before."

I rubbed my neck as we kept walking. "Like I said, I don't either. He was just kinda... there."

"Is he still around?"

"Uh, I'll have to check..." I said, flipping through my mental organizer of Personae. -Anansi of the Fool Arcana... Huh, that's a new one.- "Yeah, he is. Apparently it's called Anansi."

"Anansi? As in Anansi the Spider?" asked Hamuko. "I've read a few of the stories about him..."

I hummed. "Interesting. Well, we can sort that all out later, is the Shadow up to anything, Fuuka?"

She shook her head. "No, it doesn't appear to be moving..." She frowned. "I'm getting an unusual reading from it. It's like there's two different signals coming from it, almost..."

"Is there more than one Shadow?"

"No, Yukari-chan." replied Fuuka. "It's only one Shadow, but I'm sensing what seems like two entities..."

"Sounds like trouble." commented Shinjiro. "Better be careful."

Akihiko nodded. "Yeah. No telling what to expect."

"There are tracks on the ground." Aigis said suddenly. "They match the appearance of the tread on a retired model of tank."

Everyone stopped and we all looked at Aigis for a moment, then we looked at each other.

"So..." I began.

"...We're gonna hafta fight..." said Yukari.

"...A freaking tank?" Junpei finished.

Everyone was silent for a few moments.

* * *

><p>I think this qualifies for weirdest operation to date, because the tank we found was, according to Aigis, bigger than it's supposed to be! Probably because the Shadow possessed it, which means we get to fight a demon tank. And we're a bunch of teenagers and one teenage-looking robot. With psychic powers.<p>

-Sounds like some kinda anime when I put it that way, huh?-

"Focus, Roy!" shouted Pharos. "The tank's aiming!"

-Right, sorry!- "Scatter!"

Everyone took off in a random direction to avoid the tank's main gun, while a smaller machine gun started opening fire. There were a few rocks scattered around, all of them roughly the size of a van, that I think everyone hid behind. I did, and I had Shinjiro and Aigis with me.

"Any bright ideas?" he asked, ducking slightly when a bullet chipped a piece of rock near his head. "And don't say-"

"That would get you shot and therefore is a dumb plan." I said, cutting him off. "We need to break the small gun, because call me crazy but I think the big one will blow up these rocks if we stay behind them too long."

"A direct attack would be ill advised." stated Aigis. "A strike from an angle the armaments cannot reach is advised."

Shinjiro and I looked at her.

"So what, something has to drop down from above the damn thing?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Such a tactic would be highly effective."

"How's someone supposed to get above it?" I asked, then I got an idea. "Wait, never mind, I have a plan!"

_{Be careful!}_ exclaimed Fuuka suddenly. _{It's about to fire the cannon!}_

"Watch out!" shouted Hamuko before the thunderous roar of the cannon drowned out all sound for a little while. Several gunshots and cries of 'Persona' rang out, followed by a few smaller explosions.

"Okay, fighting time!" I said, darting past Shinjiro with my evoker pressed to my head. "Persona!" **BANG**

Shade appeared and hurled a chunk of ice at the tank that was quickly shot to hell. What surprised me though was a set of four glowing yellow eyes appearing from near the ceiling of the cave, which turned out to be Anansi having somehow summoned himself and landing on the tank's cannon. The Shadow clearly noticed, because the cannon started swiveling around like it was trying to shake Anansi off. He wasn't having any of that though, so he jumped off the cannon and onto the front of the tank, grabbing the machine gun with four of his arms and ripping it off while the other two kept the cannon from swinging back around and hitting him.

"Holy-! Dude, Roy, did that thing just-!"

"Yeah, he did, Junpei!" I shouted back as Anansi rolled off the tank, tossing the broken machine gun aside before he vanished. "Did not actually know he was that strong!"

_{The Shadow's vulnerable now!} _said Fuuka. _{Attack it quickly before the cannon reloads!}_

Several voices shouted at once as gunshots echoed once more, and what likely amounted to a wall made of fire, ice, lightning, wind, and orange energy crashed into the tank. It started backing up as the attacks continued hammering away at it, with me contributing a few as well before there was a loud growling noise and the tank cannon seemed to rise slightly. Then the cannon jumped off and turned into some kind of robotic soldier guy with a Justice mask on his face and wielding the barrel of the cannon like a bazooka. There was another growl, and the tank started to change.

It turned into a robotic grizzly bear. Made of tank. With a Chariot mask on its right shoulder.

I just kind of stared at this for a second, then narrowed my eyes. "So, the family curse has finally caught up with me..."

The Chariot bear roared again as the Justice soldier took aim with his rocket launcher, though his attempt to fire was interrupted by Aigis and Mitsuru attacking him. The Chariot Bear started charging at us, but it got hung up by Me, Akihiko, and Shinjiro summoning Personae to fight it. I couldn't get a good look at what the others were doing because between trying to coordinate Anansi with Castor and Polydeuces and dodge the attacks from the Mecha Bear, I kind of had my hands full.

"**Target sighted!"**

"What the hell, this one can talk, too?" I heard Junpei sputter, prompting me to look in the direction of the other Shadow.

"**Chariot, destroy the target!"** exclaimed the Justice, shoving Hamuko away. "**Remove the obstruction!"**

I didn't get much time to think about that, nor did anyone else I think, when the Chariot Bear roared again and lunged at me, Shinjiro, and Akihiko. It cleaved a huge chunk out of the ground on impact, and Shinjiro's response to that was to have Castor body check it into one of the cave walls.

"The hell was that thing going on about?" asked Shinjiro. "Since when did Shadows pick targets?"

"I dunno, but we can figure it out later." replied Akihiko, taking a stance as the Chariot started to get back up. "It's coming back for another round..."

Shinjiro hefted his axe. "Tch. What a pain..."

The Chariot roared yet again, barreling towards the two upperclassmen who proceeded to not give a damn and hit the Shadow in its front legs as hard as they could, sending it sliding to the ground past them slightly. It snarled as it tired to get back up, and unfortunately it spotted me. Apparently I was a sort of 'good enough' scenario for it, because it fired an orange beam out of its mouth that felt like I got punched in the chest and landed harshly on the ground.

_{Roy-kun!}_

-I'm... fine... urgh...- I pushed myself up slightly so I wasn't completely laying down.

"**Got a clear shot! FIRING!"**

I turned my head to see the Justice soldier had decided to fire its missile launcher. At me. The rocket screamed through the air, and I was too dazed to do much more than stare at it. I heard gunfire, and the rocket exploded a good few feet away, so I only got hit by the concussive shockwave from the explosion, sending me rolling along the ground a few times before I managed to catch myself.

"Roy-san, are you alright?"

I got up, finding Aigis moving towards me. The others were still fighting the Shadows.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." I sighed, flashing a smile at Aigis. "Thanks."

"Your safety is my highest priority." she said matter-of-factly.

I chuckled wearily. "Yeah... but we've got Shadows to kill, so let's get back to it, shall we?"

She nodded once, then turned and darted back towards the Justice Shadow. I turned my head to look at the Chariot, and Shinjiro and Akihiko were holding it off pretty well.

"ALRIGHT BEAR!" I exclaimed, pointing at the Chariot. "HAVE AT THEE!"

Being kind of an idiot, I promptly charged right at it screaming a war cry like some kind of claymore-wielding Scottish cyclops. The Shadow decided I was more interesting than the Bash Brothers and knocked them aside as it rushed at me. Lucky for me, I had more mobility than the Shadow, managing to leap onto its back and hang on for dear life. It thrashed around trying to get me off, but changed its tune once I summoned King Frost to freeze his legs in place. The Shadow continued to struggle, more to free itself than to get me off, which gave me ample time to start smashing parts of its body.

"A little help would be nice!" I shouted over my shoulder, tearing off a chunk of metal and exposing part of the Shadow's back. "Ha! Got a weak point!"

"Roy-kun, catch!"

I looked over and managed to catch the shaft of Hamuko's naginata.

"Stab it in there and zap the damn thing!" she called out.

I saluted her. "Can-do!"

I rammed the blade of the naginata into the Shadow, causing it to roar in pain and start thrashing around more. I jumped off of it, landing near Akihiko with my Evoker pressed to my head. "Ready, Senpai?"

"I've been waiting for this!" shouted Akihiko, his own Evoker ready. "Now!"

**BANG BANG**

Polydeuces and Anansi appeared, both calling down a massive lightning blast. It struck the naginata and promptly conducted itself into the Shadow, causing it to howl in pain as the electricity coursed through its body until it was no more.

Akihiko had an oddly large grin on his face, looking to his right. "Ha, didja see that, Shinji?"

Shinjiro sighed. "Really, Aki...?"

"A little help over here?" shouted Junpei. "This one's going nuts now!"

"Not for long!" exclaimed Hamuko right as I turned around, getting a good look at her Persona flash freezing half the Justice Shadow's body. "Got it! Roy-kun, can you get my naginata?"

I looked around, then snatched the weapon off the ground. "Yeah, got it!"

I ducked under a stray missile from the Justice as I headed to give Hamuko back her weapon while Shinjiro just sort of casually walked up to the Shadow, sizing it up.

"Get lost." He grunted, promptly smashing his axe down on the Shadow like a guillotine, cleaving it in half.

-...Admittedly, that seemed kinda anti-climactic.- "So, was that it for them, Fuuka?"

_{...Yes. No other shadows detected.}_

I sighed. "Cool, now we can leave and I get to work on figuring out where Anansi came from." I sarcastically twirled my right index finger. "Woo."

"You'll have help, Roy." noted Pharos.

-Yeah, but that doesn't mean it's not gonna make my head hurt again.-

* * *

><p>I collapsed onto my bed once we got back to the dorm and I was in my room, letting out a low groan.<p>

"Headache is gone and yet my head still hurts..." I complained. "What the crap..."

"I don't know what to tell you, Roy." said Pharos. "You're probably just unlucky."

I sighed, turning my head slightly so I could actually see Pharos. "Yeah, sounds about right." -Wait, what's with that expression he's got?- "Something wrong, Pharos?"

He shook his head. "No, but... I remembered something again."

"Remembered what?" I asked, sitting up on my bed.

"The end won't be brought about by anyone in particular... it's coming because there's a lot of people wishing for it..." he said. "As if it was destined from the start... but, doesn't that seem like a strange thing to wish for?"

I shrugged. "It does to me, but there might be people who'd prefer to die rather than suffer."

"Indeed..." Pharos agreed. "Otherwise, a person would probably end up hating everything in the world..." He frowned. "...Huh."

"What now?"

He shook his head lightly. "Something else came to me that I want to tell you about... Soon, poisonous flowers will bloom. One in your own garden, three in the one opposite yours..."

-Poisonous flowers...?- "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't know, but..." he trailed off, then his eyes widened. "Wait, there were three people watching SEES back after the July Operation. What if they're the poisonous flowers?"

Eyebrow. "That's... kind of a strange jump of logic, but..." I paused. "...Wait, those two Strega dudes said they'd been watching us, right?"

"Yeah... that Takaya guy said so." replied Pharos. "Why?"

"Then wouldn't they have been two the guys keeping tabs on us during that mission?" I asked. "And if there was a third with them... they have a friend who either didn't show up earlier or was hiding on purpose."

"That would make some sense..." he said. "But what about the other flower? The one supposedly blooming in your garden?"

I shrugged. "Got me... if it's another Persona-user, though, the only ones I know of outside of SEES besides Strega would be Koromaru and Ken."

"And if one garden is Strega while the other is SEES..." Pharos began. "Then someone might betray you."

"Or hurt somebody else." I noted with a sour tone. "But where did this cryptic junk even come from?"

Pharos shrugged. "Beats me. I just sorta... knew about it."

I frowned. "That's oddly convenient..." -...Wait...- "...And curious as to the fact it always seems to happen after Operations where we kill those big Shadows."

"...That is strange." Pharos admitted. "And worrying..."

"For a lot of reasons." I said. "Though I suppose it's possible that, since you seem to be a ghost, Shadows behave differently with you. Maybe before you latched on to following me around, they attacked you and, instead of causing Apathy Syndrome, ate your memories."

"Doesn't explain the whole 'poison flowers' thing, though." he pointed out. "Assuming that what you said is the case."

"Well, you seem to be precognitive to some extent seeing as you were warning me about those large Shadows in the first place." I told him. "Maybe getting your memories back is making your powers stronger?"

Pharos crossed his arms. "Geez... if that's the case, I think I have you beat for weirdness, Roy."

"I take no offense to that." I said, holding up my arms. "But hey, just because you're an amnesiac ghost with psychic future detection powers doesn't mean I'm not gonna be your friend."

He laughed lightly. "Thanks, Roy."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when though choosest to create a Persona of the Death Arcana..._

-Woo, now for sleep- "No problem, Pharos. G'night..."

* * *

><p>I got woken up early the next day by a phone call.<p>

"Yes?" I groaned as I sat up in bed.

"Hello, Master Roy."

-...Uh oh...- "Hi Liz. What'd you need...?"

"I was curious if perhaps you would be able to accompany me today." said the Velvet Attendant. "If you are not otherwise preoccupied."

I looked over my shoulder at the Calendar on the wall. Nothing written down for today. "Nah, I've got nothing going on. I'll meet you down at the Velvet Room..."

"Thank you, Master Roy. I shall await your arrival."

I yawned after she hung up and closed my phone, grumbling under my breath.

"Too tired to handle Elizabeth, Roy?" Pharos asked with a mocking tone.

"Hardy har har, twerp." I grunted, rolling towards the edge of my bed. "Just chill out, I got this."

**WHUD**

I stayed still on the floor for a few moments. "Pharos."

"Yes, Roy?"

"Not a single word out of you."

"Of course."

"And wipe that damn smirk off your face."

I heard him huff. "Fine... spoil sport."

* * *

><p>I yawned as I approached the Velvet Room a while later, still trying to fully wake myself up.<p>

"Mornin' Igor." I said as I entered. "Mornin' Liz."

"Good morning, Master Roy." replied Elizabeth. "You have arrived sooner than I anticipated."

I shrugged. "Got nothing else to do and either nobody else was awake or they'd all left before I did. Besides, nothin' wrong with spending time with friends."

She giggled. "Thank you for your kind words, Master Roy."

"Before you depart, however..." began Igor, drawing my attention. "I must make an inquiry."

-...Igor wants to ask ME about something.- "What about?"

"The Persona you have recently acquired..." he said. "...I was not aware of its existence prior to your first use of its power. Do you know how it was attained?"

I scratched the side of my face. "Anansi? Yeah... I have no idea. All I really remember off-hand is a weird dream in some kinda foggy place and a headache that'd been hounding me for nearly a week. I'd have to double check what I wrote in my Journal to tell you more."

Igor hummed slightly, his usual smile replaced with a look of intense concentration. "I see... though, perhaps it may shed some light on the... truth of your power's apparent fragmentation with its emergence."

-That is a very odd way to word things.- "Well, that's good I guess. I mean, if it helps you, then it helps me, right?"

"Correct, my young friend." replied Igor. "But, I will not keep you further. It is best I begin my investigation quickly."

I tipped my hat at Igor. "Alright, I'll try not to keep Elizabeth for too long then." I stepped over to the exit door, opening it and motioning for her to go through. "After you, madam."

Elizabeth giggled again. "My my... such a gentleman."

"I try." I said simply. "I try."

I followed her out the door, shutting it behind me.

"So Liz." I began. "Where did you want to go this time?"

"The place known as the 'Shrine of Naganaki'." she stated as we exited the back alley of the mall.

I shook my head a little. "It's 'Naganaki Shrine', actually. But close enough."

"Is the manner to which it is referred important?" Elizabeth asked.

I shrugged. "Kinda, it helps keep people from getting confu-" I was cut off when I accidentally bumped into somebody. "-Oof! Ah, sorry about that sir."

A deep chuckle was the response as I found myself looking at a tall African man in a very nice gray suit with matching fedora and a cane in his right hand.

"It is quite alright." he replied, his thick African accent confirming he actually was from Africa directly and not an American. "I should have paid more attention to my surroundings." He tipped his hat at me. "My apologies, young man. And have a pleasant day."

"You too, sir." I replied before the man walked away.

Pharos elbowed me. "Is it just me, or was he talking like he'd spoke Japanese his entire life?"

-I was thinking the same thing, but that doesn't explain his accent.-

"That was an interesting gentleman..." Elizabeth commented.

I shrugged. "I guess. Not often you see someone that well dressed wandering around..."

"Indeed." she agreed. "But, shall we continue with our excursion, Master Roy?"

"Sure thing, Liz."

* * *

><p>"Upon seeing this 'shrine' facility first hand..." Liz began as she looked around at the top of the stairs at the front of the shrine. "I believe it is very similar to a temple... Now that I'm actually here, I sense mysterious presences, but they are markedly different from Shadows."<p>

"Different how?" I asked as we started walking towards the main part of the shrine.

Elizabeth frowned. "It is... difficult to explain. Perhaps I am sensing a Demonic presence?"

"Wouldn't surprise me." I said. "Hito-Shura was here almost a week ago in the Dark Hour."

Her eyes widened. "You survived an encounter with the Demi-Fiend?"

"He wasn't fighting me if that's what you're saying." I told her. "But he was here and stuff happened. Let's leave it at that."

"Very well then." she replied, turning her head towards the shrine and its offering box. "Now, I shall observe the local traditions and worship at the shrine."

-...Wait, she's going do to what?-

I got the answer to my question when she walked past me and produced that near comically overstuffed purse of hers. She'd already turned it over before I could say anything, the waterfall of coins shaking the offering box.

-...Holy shit where does she get all that money?-

"Maybe it's what she does with the money she charges you for Personae from the compendium?" offered Pharos.

-...That cannot all be from me. And does Igor even know she's doing things like this? I can imagine he'd have a problem with it.-

"I have finally finished presenting my offering." Elizabeth announced, closing her purse and putting it away. "Though I usually do not reside in this world... I wonder if I, too, may receive 'divine grace'."

I shrugged. "Beats me. If I ever run into a god, I'll ask them."

"Thank you, but have you not already encountered a deity?" she asked.

"Huh?"

She lightly placed her hand over her mouth. "Oh, pardon me. I believe I spoke inappropriately..."

Eyebrow. "...Okay..."

"But I wonder..." said Liz, turning back towards the offering box. "This system of monetary offerings is very similar to that of the wishing fountain. It seems there are many places in your world for supplicants to request good fortune... you live in a wondrous place..." Her eyes lit up. "Could those paper strips tied there be...?"

-Oh God she found the paper fortunes...-

"I wonder if her fortune obsession is because of your last name." said Pharos with a chuckle.

-Oh shut up, you.-

"As I thought..." she said with a satisfied tone once she stopped near the fortune box. "They are 'paper fortunes'... I've heard of this game, where people entrust their destiny to a slip of paper, and exult in the risk..."

-...What.- "Uh, not exactly..."

"Oh, I see..." Liz murmured. I don't think she's listening to me. "There are many possible destinies written on them."

-Please tell me she's not gonna...-

"Well then, I'd like to experiment with this for myself." She announced. "Please wait here while I work on obtaining all of them."

-...She is.-

"Wanna go wait on the jungle gym?" asked Pharos. "Beats standing around."

-...True. Let's roll.-

* * *

><p>About twenty minutes later, and Elizabeth was finally satisfied... then worried because I kinda walked away quietly.<p>

"Ah... Master Roy?" she called with a worried tone. "Master Roy, where have you gone...?"

She walked around the shrine, then spotted me sitting on the top of the jungle gym.

"Oh, there you are..." Elizabeth sighed. "And you have reminded me of an inquiry. Just what are those things over there?"

"What, this?" I asked, tapping my foot against the side of the jungle gym. "It's a jungle gym. The thing behind it is a slide."

"I see... the inner self is exposed to any true god..." she began, walking towards the playground. "Their magnanimity of spirit excuses all...!"

"...What?"

"And that being the case...!" She said, her eyes lighting up as she quickly went straight for the slide, climbed up, then slid down while standing up, somehow managing to not fall and hurt herself. Liz had the biggest grin on her face when she looked up at me from the bottom of the slide. "Intriguing... One must first claw one's way to the top before relaxing in luxury..."

-I guess that kind of is one way to look at it?-

"This playground equipment teaches a profound lesson on the true way of the world..." said Elizabeth with a sagely tone.

"Maybe you should try something else, Liz..." I suggested.

"That was a lot of fun." she stated. "I'd definitely like for you to continue the lessons, and teach me to play with the other equipment. I believe my next goal is the proper use of the jungle gym upon which you are seated."

"Why can I imagine this turning into a comedic montage like a cartoon?" asked Pharos.

-Because it's Elizabeth.-

* * *

><p>"I-I can't get out...!"<p>

"Yeah you can, just turn around and go to the right. You can climb out over there more easily."

"Oh, I see! Thank you."

"I think you're lucky she doesn't just try to break her way out of the jungle gym, Roy."

-Probably right, Pharos.-

* * *

><p>"Ugh... this is... so hard to... balance on..."<p>

"Really? I'm not having any trouble."

"That's because you're cheating, Mr. Wind Manipulation. Why are you even on those horizontal bars like that anyways?"

-Because I can, Pharos.-

* * *

><p>After playing around for a while, Elizabeth and I sat down on one of the benches. Pharos opted to just perch himself on the top of the slide.<p>

"Today was even more enjoyable than our other excursions out." Elizabeth said with a smile on her face. "But, to be honest, I've wondered lately... is this world enjoyable to me simply because of the novelty of the stimuli it presents? It could also be that I..." she turned her head away from me slightly. "Well... perhaps I may, in truth, be enjoying our time together because we are together."

"Well it's never bad to spend time with friends." I said. "So you're probably right, Elizabeth."

She looked back at me and smiled again. "I see... then I must thank you for being my friend, Master Roy."

**CRASH**

"GAH! Cripes do the Social links always have to do that?"

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Pierrot Arcana..._

"I do not know." replied Elizabeth. "Perhaps it is how they gain your attention to inform you of your growing strength."

I frowned, then sorta bobbed my head. "Eh, seems legit."

"In any event... I believe I'll open negotiations with my master to bring a horizontal bar into our room."

I laughed. "If you succeed, Liz, I wanna know, okay?"

She giggled. "Very well, Master Roy."

* * *

><p>After taking Liz back to the Velvet Room, I headed back to the Dorm. When I got there, I found Ken by himself... and he'd rapidly changed the channel the moment the door opened.<p>

"What was that?"

"What was what?" he asked with feigned ignorance.

"What you were watching." I clarified. "Was that Featherman?"

He suddenly seemed nervous. "N-No, of course not! I was just flipping through the channels to find something to watch..."

-Busted.- "Well if you can't decide, then put Featherman on." I flopped onto the couch. "I missed last Sunday's episode."

Ken stared at me in confusion. "You watch Featherman?"

"Heck yeah!" I said. "Featherman is awesome."

"But... isn't it for kids...?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "Psh, so what if it's for kids? Sentai is still cool." I snatched the remote off the coffee table and put Featherman on. It was still recapping the last episode. "Score, didn't miss much."

I started humming along to the Featherman theme once it played, and it wasn't till near the end I noticed Ken was still staring at me. "...What?"

"...You're strange, Roy-san." he said. "Really strange."

"You wouldn't be the first to say so, Ken." I laughed. "There ain't no shame in liking something not aimed at your age group anyways." I stood up. "So you want some popcorn while we watch this?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Well I'm assuming you'd watch it too." I said. "And don't tell me you're not a fan, I saw you watching an episode when I walked past the windows before I got to the door."

"N-No, there was just nothing else on...!" Ken insisted, then he looked at the TV Screen. "Oh, this was last week's episode! I missed it when it was on..."

I smirked. "So, popcorn then?"

"Uh... sure, I guess..." he said, crossing his arms and doing his best to appear uninterested. "There's nothing else on anyways..."

I rolled my eyes. "All right, if you say so..."

"He's bad at lying." Pharos commented absently.

-I know, right? Then again, he's ten. If he was good at lying, I'd be worried.-

* * *

><p>Around a half hour later, the episode was over and Ken and I were just grinning like idiots.<p>

"Okay. That was cooler than I was expecting." I said. "Did you see Red suplex that monster?"

"That was the best part!" Ken exclaimed. "And while it was stunned they use the Feather Combination Blaster to finish it off!"

"Gotta love the Combo Blaster." I said with a sagely nod. "Best way blow up a monster short of punching it so hard it explodes."

Ken chuckled. "Oh, I remember that episode. That was so awesome."

"I know, right?" I laughed.

"Y'know, you're not like what I expected, Roy-san."

Eyebrow. "What were you expecting?"

"I thought you were really serious and you just acted goofy most of the time." he told me. "I didn't think you were like that all the time."

I laughed. "And you're basing this on my admitting to being a Featherman fan and watching an episode with you?" I nudged him with my elbow. "Not saying you're wrong, though. Just don't be so quick to judge some people. Never know what you're really getting into without getting to know them first..." I paused. "...Unless the first impression of them is really, really bad. Then you're probably justified in judging them quickly."

"You said that so you wouldn't look like a hypocrite." Pharos said with an accusing tone. "And you know it."

-Shush, he doesn't know about the Strega duo anyways.-

"I guess so..." Ken hummed.

"Ah, don't worry about it." I said, nudging him again. "I won't hold it against you. And hey, lemme know if you ever wanna go do something this summer."

He looked at me in surprise. "Huh?"

"What, I can't be your friend because I'm older than you are?" I asked.

"No, I just wasn't expecting it!" He replied quickly. "It's usually only Yukari-san and Hamuko-san who talk to me..."

I smirked. "Yeah, well, now you can add me to that list." I held out a hand. "Okay?"

He smiled and shook my hand. "Okay!"

**CRASH**

-WHOA JESUS WHAT-

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Devil Arcana..._

-...Okay, that just whiplashed the mood from 'pretty fun' to 'mostly terrifying' if only because of Ken's Persona.-

"Is something wrong?"

"Eh? Nah, just thought of something I wanted to do." I said, standing up. "Talk more later, I have things to be writing."

"More work on that journal of yours?" Pharos asked as the two of us headed upstairs.

-Well duh. What else do I do besides draw things?-

* * *

><p>The next morning, I got a surprise visit from Mitsuru telling me to come to the Command Room later on because of something important. When meeting time rolled around, I strolled in with Junpei and Aigis.<p>

"Does this mean we have a new mission?" Aigis asked.

Junpei shrugged. "I dunno. The alarm's not ringin' so I doubt it..."

"Same here." I agreed, then I actually looked ahead. "Wait, huh?"

"Koro-chan?"

Fuuka and Hamuko pushed right past me and over to the dog in question, who was sitting right next to Shinjiro, who in turn was standing next to Akihiko and Mitsuru.

Koromaru barked once when Hamuko and Fuuka knelt down next to him, while everyone else sorta formed a crowd around the little guy.

"Are you okay?" Fuuka asked, looking over the Shiba carefully. "Where'd you get this collar?"

"I'm actually wondering why he's got a shirt with angel wings on the back of it." I said. "But yeah, the collar is a good question as well."

"The collar is designed to help control his Persona." Mitsuru stated. "In other words, it's an Evoker for dogs."

Mitsuru had everyone who wasn't Fuuka, Shinjiro, Akihiko, or Aigis staring at her.

"Wait... are you saying he'll be going into Tartarus with us?" asked Yukari.

"It was a surprise for me as well." Mitsuru admitted. "But according to the tests, it's quite possible. In fact, it was the Chairman's suggestion, so we'll be looking after him here at the dorm."

"Tests nothing, I saw his Persona in person." I commented. "Though I'm still not sure how he summoned it then..."

"Which is exactly why his collar is needed." she said matter-of-factly.

Hamuko turned her attention to Koromaru. "Is that okay with you?"

Koromaru barked in response.

"He says, 'I will return the favor'." said Aigis.

"Man, you're one loyal dog..." Yukari said with a small laugh as she knelt down to pet him. He barked again, his tail thumping against the floor as it wagged back and forth.

"Hey, the more the merrier!" Junpei exclaimed with a grin. "So what if he's a dog? I'll take him for a walk anytime! It's summer break after all!"

Mitsuru nodded, a sly smile on her face. "Yes, it is. Enjoy your vacation while you can; summer classes start next week. I'll see to it that you graduate."

The room was dead silent aside from Koromaru breathing for a few moments before Junpei started laughing nervously.

"H-Hey, good one Senpai." he said. "You almost had me there."

"Oh, it's no joke." she stated. "We'll be taking intensive courses and I've already applied for all of us. I know it's been rather difficult balancing school and our late night excursions-"

"I call bullshit on that, I make sure we DON'T go there more than twice a week so we can study!" I exclaimed. "And I saw the scores from the last test, the lowest was Junpei and he still made the top twenty-five! And why is this the first I've heard about this?"

"Yeah, I haven't heard about this either!" Junpei chimed in.

"All the more reason this is necessary." said Mitsuru, crossing her arms. "More time to study will keep your grades up. Even the Chairman agreed this was a good idea... but, I thought I told Takeba and Yamagishi..."

"You didn't exactly respond to the other stuff he said, you know." commented Shinjiro. "How does two visits to that damn tower a week work out to 'not enough time to study'?"

"It doesn't matter, you'll be attending the classes regardless." she stated sharply, glaring at Shinjiro.

I groaned in unison with Junpei.

"This sucks, man..." he griped.

"I know, dude." I sighed. "I know..."

* * *

><p>Author Notes - Poor Roy. If only he knew what else I have in store for him later in the story. And no, that random African guy in a suit is not at all significant or otherwise important to things I have planned. Whatever gave you that idea? It's not like I'm making a suspiciously specific denial about it.<p> 


	14. Summer Socializing

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**P.T. Piranha** - Well what other scottish cyclopses do you know of besides Demonmen? And if I was talking about monkey bars, that's what they would've been called. Horizontal bars are literally what their name suggests they are, but I went over that with you on skype a while back from what I remember.

**Overlord Duelist** - You win an award for making that joke. Also expect more spider shenanigans because of the Anansi Persona.

**Guest #1** - Well, there is a good reason for Ken being Devil but that'll come up later. Also Anansi looks nothing like Slenderman...

**Guest #2** - Whatever do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about, I never made suspiciously specific denials about some African fellow Roy bumped into. Clearly you're imagining things.

**sonicfan315** - You'll find out whether or not you hit the mark with that guess of yours eventually. Hehehehe...

**XtremeManiac33** - Actually, the P4 story that follows Reshuffled already exists! Persona 4: Norimoto Style, though I need to make some more editorial tweaks to it after looking back at it due to some of the revised plot points. I won't mention when they happen, though, so people might never know there was a change at all. Mwehehehe...

**Jenni Saba** - Hehehe, glad you like it! You'll probably enjoy a certain someone's appearance in this chapter even more.

I'd like to thank **P.T. Piranha** for Beta Editing this. And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Fuck summer school. I don't care if this clashes with the rest of my narration of this journal up to now but FUCK SUMMER SCHOOL. It was too goddamn fucking hot in that fucking classroom UGH...<p>

"Roy, calm down."

-Oh, shut up Pharos. You barely felt the damn heat!-

"Just write your next journal entry, not complain about having to go to summer school."

-...Bah... fine...-

* * *

><p>After the... unpleasant week of summer school, I found myself feeling mostly drained on the fifteenth and just lazed around in the lounge.<p>

"Roy-san."

I looked over at Aigis from my position on the couch.

"Why are you seated like that?" she asked, tilting her head to the right.

For the record, I was sitting on the couch upside down.

"It helps me think sometimes." I said. "Other times it helps me calm down. Then there's times like now where there's not really a reason, I'm just sitting like this."

She stared at me for a moment. "An unusual, sometimes spontaneous habit... I comprehend."

"Figured. Was there something you wanted to ask?"

Aigis nodded. "I was speaking to Fuuka-san and Yukari-san earlier and was informed of an event called a 'Summer Festival' is taking place tomorrow evening at Naganaki Shrine. I wish to know if you had intentions to attend the event."

Eyebrow. "The festival? First I've heard of it, actually. Why, did you want me to go with you?"

"Affirmative." She replied. "I felt it would be an acceptable form of recreation after observing your discomfort during this past week."

I flipped myself over and sat up properly on the couch. "Really now? Well, far be it for me to argue with that logic."

"So you will attend the festival with me?"

I nodded. "Sure. Don't see any reason not to, after all."

"Thank you, Roy-san." she said, a small smile on her face. "It appeared to be an interesting event, and I am looking forward to wearing the special clothing item called a 'yukata'. It will be a new experience for me." Aigis bowed slightly. "Please excuse me, Hamuko-san requested I speak with her once I had received an answer from you."

"Alright, talk to you later then Aigis." I said, lazily waving as she headed off and up the stairs. -...Hey Pharos...-

"Yes, Roy?" he asked from his seat on one of the arm chairs. He's sitting in it like how I was on the couch a few minutes ago.

-Think an occasion like that would be worth wearing a suit?-

"Depends." he replied. "Do you have a suit?"

-I have three.-

"Then go for it."

I grinned. -Excellent.-

* * *

><p>I didn't have a whole lot to do most of the following day, mostly passing time with a few video games, up until it was time to get ready to head to the festival. Now, despite my dislike of the extremely dumb ribbon thing guys are expected to wear for the Gekkoukan Uniform, I have no actual objection to wearing a regular tie. In fact I actually like wearing suits, mainly because I'd like to think I look rather good in them. I didn't even care I was probably overdressed for just a Summer Festival as I walked downstairs. Found Yukari waiting at the bottom of the stairs, which slightly surprised me. I'd thought she'd left already.<p>

"Hey, there you..." Yukari trailed off when she actually got a good look at me. "...are..."

Eyebrow. "What? A guy can't wear a suit around here or something? I felt it was appropriate."

Yukari just stared for a moment before she snapped out of her miniature trance, a faint blush on her face. "N-No, I just wasn't expecting it! I didn't even know you had a suit..."

"I have a few, but where's Aigis?" I asked, changing the subject. "She told me to meet her down here."

"Oh, she should be down in a minute." Yukari said. "She was just putting on some 'personal' touches she picked up from Hamuko-chan. I was just about to head out since everyone else already left."

I chuckled. "Alright, have fun Yukari."

"Alright, see you later!" She said as she walked out the door.

"Dude this is the best night ever." commented Junpei from his spot on the couch. "Gettin' to see all the girls wearing yukata... Almost makes me wish I wasn't gonna watch a movie while everybody's gone."

-Eh?- "All the girls...? Even Mitsuru-senpai?"

"Oh yeah, dude." He said with a smirk. "Apparently Hamu-tan convinced her to tag along with her, Yuka-tan, and Fuuka-chan. They left about two minutes before you came down, Yuka-tan was just a bit slow because she had to fix her hair."

I looked around. "Where's Akihiko and Mr. Grump?"

Junpei shrugged. "Senpai said he was going for a jog with Koromaru, and Shinjiro-san just left without a word, so I dunno what he's doing."

"What about Ken?"

"Said he didn't like festivals before he went up to his room." he replied. "Think he mumbled something about Featherman, too."

I laughed. "Wouldn't surprise me."

"Roy-san."

I looked over my shoulder at Aigis, who was now coming down the stairs. She was in a blue yukata with white flowers on it with a yellow sash around her waist. The overall effect was... well, surprisingly distracting.

"Roy-san?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. You look really nice, Aigis." I said, snapping out of my minor daze. "Shall we be off?"

She nodded moving closer to me before we started out the door.

"Have fun you two..." Junpei commented absently. He was more focused on the TV. "Don't be out late."

"Yeah, yeah..." I replied, rolling my eyes.

* * *

><p>Along the way to the festival, I had to convince Aigis that it wasn't secretly some kind of yakuza front or whatever. I'm not even entirely sure where she got the idea it was anything other than a festival, though I suspect Junpei is to blame. Thankfully it wasn't terribly crowded once we got there, so I didn't have to worry quite as much about her wandering off. Not that I expect she would, but it never hurts to play it safe. That, and Pharos could probably help me track her down if I could actually tell where he had vanished off to.<p>

"Roy-san?"

I turned to Aigis, giving up my visual search for Pharos since I doubt he could really get lost. "What's up?"

She indicated one of the festival stands. It was one of those shooting galleries like you see at carnivals and fairs. "Why is there a small-scale target range in a public place?"

"Oh, that's a shooting game." I said. "You use the gun they give you and try to knock down targets to win prizes. A variation is where the prizes are the targets, and you try to knock over the one you want." I looked at the shooting game's booth again. "Looks like the one here is the latter."

Aigis kept staring at the booth very intently as a kid was taking a shot at one of the prizes. "...I believe this requires our attention."

Eyebrow. "Why?"

"I would like to know why the items do not budge when struck precisely at their balancing point." She stated. "The most recent attempts made as we have been conversing have all successfully struck the proper location of their targets, and yet there was no apparent result."

I looked at the shooting game again. "...Really now? Well, why don't we give it a shot then."

The two of us approached the stand. The guy behind the counter didn't seem like a shady, cheating asshole but looks can be deceiving.

"Hello there, care to test your aim?" he said, holding up one of the air rifles. "If you can knock down a prize, it's yours."

I narrowed my eyes. "Challenge accepted." I looked at Aigis. "You wanna take a shot at it, too?"

She nodded. "Affirmative."

"Alright then." I said, pulling out my wallet. "So how much?"

* * *

><p>"Holy-! Wow, that's some good aim you got there, ma'am!"<p>

"...How did you do that with an air rifle?"

"I believe a phrase Junpei-san used is appropriate; I am just that good."

-...Well now I want to know when, where, and why Junpei said that...-

* * *

><p>Aigis seemed surprisingly content as we walked away from the shooting game booth with her prize in hand. She won herself a Black Frost doll. I only managed a Jack Frost one. Kind of strange they resemble the Personas I've used, though...<p>

"Hamuko-chan!"

-Eh?-

Aigis and I looked over to see a familiar group of girls helping a certain brunette with hairpins onto a bench.

"Are you okay?" asked Yukari. "Nothing sprained or broken?"

Hamuko nodded. "Yeah, I just lost my balance..." She made a face then looked over at a damaged sandal a short ways away. "Aw man, my sandal broke...!"

I noticed some movement in the corner of my eye, turning my head slightly to see another familiar figure watching things unfold. The other girls had scurried away, likely trying to find someone to help because of complications I hadn't heard because I got distracted. Hamuko was sitting on the bench, looking a bit unhappy as she glared at the broken sandal. Shinjiro started towards her, picking up the damaged piece of footwear as I suddenly wondered how Mitsuru, Fuuka, and Yukari missed spotting him, me, and Aigis when they walked away for help.

"Roy-san?"

I looked at Aigis. "Yeah?"

"Should we not go and assist Hamuko-san?"

I turned back to watch Hamuko and Shinjiro. He was talking to her, but too quietly for me to make out what he was saying.

"Nah, I think Shinjiro's got it under control." I told her. "That and... I'm kinda curious as to what he's up to."

Aigis and I moved a little ways back, watching Shinjiro talk with Hamuko. He knelt down and seemed to be messing with something. Once he stood up, it turned out he'd fixed Hamuko's broken sandal. She seemed pretty happy, but he just tried to brush it off and walked away. He succeeded because the other girls showed up, though Mitsuru spotted him and had a quick word with him. They were too far away for me to hear anything. Once their chat was over, Shinjiro started in the direction of me and Aigis, not noticing us until we were only about four feet away.

"...How long have you two been standing there?" he asked.

I looked at my watch. "Uh... since about when Hamuko tripped?" I looked at him. "Why?"

He just glared at me.

Eyebrow. "What? Is it really that big of a deal for someone to catch you acting like a decent person?"

"Just mind your own business." Shinjiro grunted, starting to turn away.

"You were right, y'know."

He paused, looking at me over his shoulder.

"That little observation about me you made in that journal entry I asked you to write." I said. "But I'm not the only one with something to hide, am I?"

He scoffed. "So what, you're a shrink now?"

I shrugged. "I just know a thing or two about Arcana is all. I guess based on what I see."

"Hierophant?" asked Shinjiro. "Or however the hell you say it?"

I shook my head. "Moon."

He skeptically raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "Whatever."

"Really, why is it so bad if people know you're a nice guy at heart?" I asked, approaching Shinjiro.

Shinjiro glared at me. "...I ain't a nice guy. Best if nobody misses me when I'm gone. Not worth anyone's damned time anyway."

"Not even Akihiko's?"

"Especially not his." He said sternly. "He doesn't need someone like me around anyways. And why do you even care?"

I folded my arms. "How about because even if you don't want people getting close to you, it's kinda gonna happen anyways? Just as an example, your little stunt there with Hamuko? Yeah, I can't see that deeming you some kind of heartless jerk in her eyes."

"Tch. Whatever." He turned away again. "I got nothin' for her, so it's better she doesn't waste her time."

"It's likely only gonna be a waste to you, y'know." I commented as he started to leave. "People see things differently. Opinions and whatnot. Not much you can really do about it."

Shinjiro paused mid step, as if contemplating turning around, but shook his head and kept walking.

**CRASH**

-Wait what are you kidding me how did that exchange count?-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Moon Arcana..._

-...Social links are weird.-

"Roy-san?"

I turned my head. "Yeah?"

"Why does Shinjiro-san not wish to be recognized as helpful?" she asked. "I do not comprehend."

I shrugged. "I couldn't tell you for sure. I know he has reasons, but I don't exactly know what they are."

Aigis tilted her head slightly. "Would it not be simple to inquire about Shinjiro-san's reasons?"

"Nah, I doubt he'd tell either of us even." I said. "If he tells anyone, it'd probably be once he trusts them enough."

She was quiet for a moment. "Roy-san, you referenced 'Arcana' durring your conversation with Shinjiro-san. What purpose do classifications for Shadow types serve in interactions with others?"

"Ah, that's the thing though." I began, leading Aigis away from the festival. "They weren't originally meant to classify Shadows by type of mask."

"Is that so?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Arcana are from Tarot, a total of Twenty two exist in a given Tarot deck. They go from zero, the Fool, to twenty-one, the World, and each tells different things about a Person."

"Hierophant is the fifth Arcana..." Aigis noted. "But what number is Moon?"

"Eighteen."

"And what is the meaning of those Arcana?"

"Hierophant is the doctrine of order which helps maintain all things, the presiding semblance of structure and authority that ensures a sense of community and harmony amongst people." I stated. "Moon, meanwhile, is more related to doubt, deception, and illusions. Hence why I'm sure Shinjiro has reasons for why he acts the way he does and tries to cover his tracks in regards to acts of kindness by acting like a massive jerk."

Aigis seemed to make a sound akin to a hum. "So then he masks his true nature from others in an attempt to prevent them pain of some sort?"

"Could be." I said. "It's entirely possible, but without knowing more I can't really say." -Technically I do know more, but it's probably not my place to blab that Shinjiro's Persona has murdered someone.-

"I am curious, however, how a given person can be attributed to multiple Arcana." she said. "Shinjiro-san's Persona is Hierophant, yet you say he is also represented by Moon."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah, I don't get that either. But so far, I've only met three people besides Shinjiro that seem to have two Arcanas."

"Who are the others?"

"Akihiko, who has Star in addition to Emperor..." I began, counting on my fingers. "Then there's Ken, who's got Justice and Devil, and lastly you, with Chariot and Aeon."

Aigis titled her head. "Aeon?"

"It's from a different tarot deck than other ones." I explained. "It's in the same position as the Judgment card, but it has a slightly different meaning."

"Different?"

"Judgment is the second to last card and, as I know it, is about looking back and reflecting on the things you've done and casting aside any remaining uncertainties you have before you can truly say you have reached the end of the last trial that was laid before you." I said. "Aeon is more you searching for understanding within your experiences to see if you do indeed know what you were meant to learn and that you know just exactly who you are and where you belong in the world."

Aigis made that humming noise again. "Then is that to say I will examine my circumstances carefully as we continue to defeat the Shadows?"

I nodded. "More than likely. Because, really... once the Shadows are gone, what would happen to you?"

She stared at me in silence for a few moments. "I... do not know. It is likely I will return to the Yakushima laboratory."

"Well, is that what you want?"

Aigis blinked absently. "What I want would not be taken into account. I am a machine with the singular purpose of destroying Shadows."

"No, you're a person with a mechanical body." I countered. "Ikutsuki himself said they had to give you a human-like body so you would think like a human and thus be capable of using a Persona. If a Persona is a manifestation of human will, then logically you are just as human as I am, even if your body is different from mine."

Aigis stopped in place, staring at me in what looked like it might've been shock. I stopped as well, keeping my eyes on her.

"Aigis?" I asked.

"I..." she began, her voice sounding like it was wavering. "I had not considered that line of thinking before..."

"It seems simple enough to me." I said. "Persona is a power formed from the human will. You have a Persona, thus you are human. Makes sense, right?"

She was quiet for a moment, then nodded a little. "I comprehend the thought process behind your statement, Roy-san. And... thank you for informing me of it."

I smiled. "You're welcome, Aigis."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Aeon Arcana..._

-Nifty!-

"We should resume our return to the dormitory." Aigis said. "I believe the Operation has concluded in a satisfactory manner."

"Alright, let's go then." I replied, the two of us resuming our walk back to the dorm.

* * *

><p>The trip back was part idle talk and part introductory lesson on Tarot Arcana, which Aigis grasped easily and quickly. Once actually back at the dorm, Aigis went up to her room and I went to mine, finding Pharos sitting on the bed.<p>

-And just where the hell have you been?- I asked with the most accusing tone my mind could conjure. -You just up and disappeared on me, hours ago!-

Pharos chuckled nervously. "Oh, um, I was at the festival..."

Eyebrow. -With who? You're invisible to anyone who's not me.-

"Eh heh..." He didn't look at me. "I... uh..."

-...You were stalking someone weren't you.-

"What? NO!" he shouted, his head snapping in my direction. "Of course not!"

I just smirked. -Suuuuuure little buddy.-

"I wasn't!" Pharos insisted, glaring at me.

I held up my hands. -Alright, alright, I believe you. But Fuuka looked nice in that yukata, right?-

"Beyond nice..." he sighed contently, then he realized what I did and glared at me again. "Oh you massive jerk!"

-Hehehe- I thought with a grin. -Couldn't resist a gag like that man. No offence.-

Pharos groaned. "Man, just go to bed or whatever..." He paused. "You're going to put this in the Journal, aren't you?"

-Maaaybe.-

"...Asshole."

* * *

><p>Not having much to do for the next few days, I spent part of them getting my summer homework done with. On the twentieth, I'd finished everything and opted to head out somewhere with Yukari. I slightly regretted that, because flower shops make my head hurt because of too many different goddamn smells, also I've got a pollen allergy, but thankfully she told me before we got there so it wasn't like I wasn't gonna be able to do something about it.<p>

"Hmm... Lilies are too overpowering, and roses aren't really my thing..." Yukari commented as I swallowed some allergy pills and washed them down with some juice I got at the same corner store as the pills. "Maybe gerberas?"

"Man, I don't even know." I replied. "Only flowers I can tell apart from any others are roses."

She giggled. "Well, that's a shame... I was hoping you could help me pick out some flowers for my room."

"Oh, well I guess I..." I paused about a half second into that sentence. "Wait a second, I've never even been in your damn room!"

"Well, then what good are you?" She said with the most blatantly teasing tone of voice I've ever heard her use.

"Not much, that's fer sure..." I sighed. "Only thing I'm sure of is whatever you pick, you'll probably go for the pink ones because you have pink EVERYTHING."

Yukari looked at me like I was slightly crazy. "No I don't..."

"Yukari, I have seen you wear at least one pink piece of clothing every single day for as long as I've known you." I said flatly. "Plus you told me yourself it's your favorite color anyways."

She giggle again. "Oh yeah, I did huh...? I'm surprised you remembered..."

I shrugged. "What can I say? I at least try to make an effort to remember random little things friends have told me."

**CRASH**

-Oh hey there Social Link Voices-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest-_

-To make a Lovers persona blah blah blah, I'm honestly starting to get sick of hearing these things all the time.-

"Too bad there's no way to shut them off, huh?" commented Pharos.

-Yeah...- "So, you picked out which ones you wanna get?"

"Kinda, but I think I'm gonna look around a bit longer." she replied. "You don't have to stick around if you don't want to, cuz I'm pretty sure I can handle a few flowers by myself."

I looked at Yukari as I started to turn to leave. "You sure you don't mind me headin' out?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "It's totally fine. You've got allergies, right? Those pills you took won't kick in for a little bit anyways so it'd probably be better if you stepped outside."

I laughed. "Ha, alright... thanks Yukari, I'll see ya back at the dorm."

"Alright, see ya Roy-kun!"

I waved absently over my shoulder as I left the flower shop, glad to no longer be assaulted by all the damn flower smells. I started checking my pockets, only to find I had my sketchbook with me, almost wondering why until I flipped through it and found the half-finished drawing in it. Forgot I left it in a card in my pocket cuz I wanted to finish it up...

"Well, why not sit down next to her and finish it?"

I looked at Pharos. -Who?-

"Her." he said, pointing at a red-haired girl in a white... dress I want to call what she's wearing? "She's drawing something herself, so why not ask if you can sit next to her?"

-...Eh, sure. Why not?- I though with a shrug as I walked over to the girl.

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked.

She looked up at me for a moment, then back at her drawing. "No."

I smiled, sitting down next to her and starting to finish up my sketch. I glanced over at the girl next to me, and it was like she knew because she turned her sketchbook away from me. I shrugged again, focusing on my own drawing again.

"You come here to draw often?" I asked.

I heard the sound of her pencil stop for a moment, then start up again.

"...No." she replied.

I hummed. "Too noisy?"

"...Sometimes."

"Ah. You drawn for a while?"

She looked over at me for a moment, apparently surprised I was trying to have a conversation with her. "A few years."

"Thinking of doing it professionally?" I asked.

She didn't answer for a few moments. "...Maybe."

"You enjoy drawing?"

Her reply came with a very tiny smile. "Yes."

I chuckled. "Always good to have something you enjoy to help pass the time..."

"Mmhm..." she hummed.

I did some final touch-ups on my sketch, then flipped my pad closed and stood up. "Think I'll get out of your hair now, though. Nice talking to you, miss."

Her response was a simple hum as I started to walk away.

**CRASH**

-WHOA FUCKING SHIT WHAT-

_I am thou... thou art I..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Temperance Arcana..._

-...New friend? Awesome!-

* * *

><p>Nothing worth mentioning happened for a few days... then the twenty-forth rolled around.<p>

I'll... just start with how my day began. Akihiko started knocking on my door, saying he wanted me to come with him. Turns out all he wanted was a training buddy, so guess who got roped into that AND taking Koromaru for a walk? If you guessed me, you win nothing but the smug satisfaction you predicted something written down in a journal written by a teenager.

Koromaru barked at the two of us as we gasped for breath the entire way up the stairs at the shrine. He seemed happy to have more than one person with him, but I wasn't in the position to tell more than that because Akihiko wanted to do like twenty laps around like four blocks before racing me here.

"Let's... haa... take a short break..." he wheezed, plopping down on a bench. I wasted no time in occupying almost the entirety of the bench next to the one he was on, Koromaru sitting down in front of me and giving me a curious look. I just patted him on the head. "Hey... the wind's starting to pick up... feels nice after a jog like that..."

"Jog my ass." I griped. "That was... haa... like five fucking miles you insisted on..."

Akihiko laughed. "Yeah, well endurance training does the body good. But it was nice having a training partner for once... usually I'm practicing at the club room at school or alone in my room..."

I turned my head slightly. "What, you have a personal gym thing set up in there?"

"Of course." he replied with a tone that suggested it was completely normal and obvious he'd done so. "It's not the best, but it helps with what I need."

"I'm not even sure why that surprises me..." I commented. "Hell, I'm sure if you could do it, you'd have gotten Mitsuru to install a full gym in the dorm somewhere..."

"...I wonder..."

I gave him a look. "Dude she'd never go for it. Not even if you said it'd help us prepare against Shadows."

He sighed. "Yeah... you're probably right..." Akihiko glanced at his watch, then stood up. "Actually, can you keep an eye on Koromaru? There's something I've gotta go talk to someone about."

I sat up, while Koromaru tilted his head curiously upon hearing his name.

"Sure, I can handle the little dude..." I said. "But what's up?"

He shook his head. "Nothing you need to worry yourself over..."

"You sure I can't help out?"

Akihiko laughed. "Yeah, but... thanks for offering. I'll catch you later, Roy."

I waved as he started jogging away. "Later senpai..."

**CRASH**

-GAH! Damn it I need to be more prepared for these things!-

_Thou shalt ha-_

-Blah blah blah Star Arcana blah blah.- I griped mentally. -Pharos, you think we should hit the Velvet Room sometime soon and ask Igor if I can turn down the volume on the social link pop-ups?-

"Couldn't hurt." he said. "I mean if you got nothing better to do..."

I started to answer when the sound of a little girl crying suddenly started getting closer. Koromaru was on his feet, looking at the stairs to the shrine. It took me a few seconds before the source came into view for me to recognize who it was.

Maiko.

I didn't even have the chance to get up before she ran straight towards me and latched on tightly, like I was a live preserver in the middle of the ocean. She was still crying.

"R-Roy-san...!" she squeaked out between sobs. "M-My dad, he... Waaaaah!"

"Hey, hey take it easy Maiko..." I said, trying my best to calm her down. "Just take a deep breath, then tell me what's going on, okay...?"

She sobbed loudly, but slowly nodded. It took her a few minutes, but she eventually managed to calm down enough to talk to me. She sat next to me on the bench her hands still latched onto my shirt.

"M-My dad, he... he hit me!" she exclaimed. "I-I don't know what to do...!"

-WHAT?!- "That's horrible! Why'd he do that?"

"A-All I did was ask I wanted to know why they wanted to get a divorce..." Maiko said, tears welling up in her eyes again. "B-But they said I was too young to understand... but I-I kept asking and Dad got angry and... he..." She let out a choked sob. "...Th-Then mom said it was my f-fault because I was so annoying..."

-...Oh god... no...- "That's not true, Maiko-chan!"

She looked up at me, her eyes red and puffy from all her crying. "B-But then... why are they so mad...? Th-They were really happy on my birthday, b-b-but now they... they..."

I pulled her into a gentle hug as she started crying again. Koromaru whined, nudging the young girl's leg with his head.

She looked over at him, still sniffling.

"A... doggy...?" she asked.

"Mmhm." I replied. "This is Koromaru. He's a good friend of mine."

She stifled a sob, wiping the tears off her face. "C-Can I pet him...?"

Koro's ears perked up and his tail started wagging the moment he heard the word 'pet'.

"Sure. He's really friendly."

Maiko carefully reached out to pet Koromaru, and when he didn't react besides wagging his tail faster she kept petting him.

"Hehe..." she giggled. "His fur is really soft..."

Koro let out a proud sounding bark.

Maiko seemed absorbed in scratching Koromaru's head, but her smile faded after a few moments.

"Roy-san...?"

I looked at her. "Yeah?"

"...I don't want my Mom and Dad to fight because of me." she said. "So I'm... I'm gonna run away from home!"

-...No...- "...You sure that's a good idea, Maiko-chan?"

She nodded seriously. Well, as seriously as a seven year old can manage anyways. "I know it's probably selfish, but... I made up my mind. I'm gonna run away."

-...Please no...- "Were would you run to, though?"

"I don't know..." she said, her hand resting on Koromaru's head. "But... if I do run away, then Mom and Dad will have to work together to find me, right...?"

-...She sounds just like him...- "Yeah... but..." I hesitated, then sighed. "Tell ya what. Why don't you hide out at my house for a while?"

Both Koromaru and Maiko looked up at me.

"Your house?" she asked. "Would that be okay...?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and it'd be a lot safer. Plus you could play with Koromaru while you're there."

He barked happily and Maiko's eyes lit up.

"Yay!" she cheered, giving me as big a hug as she could manage. "Thank you, Roy-san~!"

-I'm not letting something like that happen this time.- "Ha, no problem. I wouldn't be a gentleman if I let a lady wander the streets and possibly get hurt, now would I?"

Maiko giggled. "Nope~! You'd be a big jerk if you did! But you're not a jerk, you're my friend!"

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana..._

-Shut up, you.- "Alright, then here, lemme get out a notepad to give you the directions..."

About ten minutes of planning later, and Maiko had left with directions to the dorm in hand and a spring in her step. I just sullenly started walking back to the dorm myself with Koromaru and Pharos in tow.

"...Hey, Koromaru?"

The shiba inu looked up at me.

"Thanks." I said. "For cheering up Maiko-chan."

He barked happily, his tail wagging.

**CRASH**

-Wait what-

_I am thou... thou art I..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Strength Arcana..._

-...Well hot damn. These things are just going off all over the place today.-

"You gonna be okay, Roy?" asked Pharos. "You seemed kinda shaken up..."

-...Depends on how things play out, Pharos. Just hoping for the best.-

* * *

><p>I spent the whole rest of the day at the dorm, half expecting Maiko to turn up. She never did, so I assumed she'd show up the next day. Fuuka, Junpei, and Hamuko all commented that Ken seemed a bit out of it, but I figured he just wasn't feeling well. I didn't even get the chance to talk to him till around seven at night on the twenty fifth after spending most of the day still expecting Maiko to turn up.<p>

"Hey Ken." I said casually, sitting down across from him at the table he was at on the second floor's mini-lounge. "You feelin' okay?"

He looked over at me. "Huh? No, I'm fine... just had something on my mind is all."

"Like what?" I asked.

Ken seemed hesitant for a second. "Well... I always felt like there was something I needed to do... but I could never figure out what it was. Now, though... I know what it is and I'm ready to do it. My mind's made up."

I smiled. "Well that's good then! And hey, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. You don't have to do everything yourself."

"Pfffft, that's a funny way to put it Roy..." scoffed Pharos.

-Hush you.-

Ken nodded. "I will... but can I ask you about something, Roy-san?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"What do you guys do at night?" he asked. "You all stay up really late sometimes... I've tried staying up but I never manage to stay awake late enough and fall asleep before the rest of you do..."

-...Well damn, kid's pretty damn observant.- "Well, what do you think we do?"

"You guys are in high school, so I thought you might be studying..." he admitted. "But do you just goof off instead?"

I shook my head. "Nah. It's... well, it's kinda more adult stuff than that."

Ken frowned. "So, what? You're saying I'm just a kid?"

"Not at all. Honestly, you could probably help us out a lot." I told him.

He seemed surprised. "Really?"

"Really." I said with a serious expression. "I can't say I know what the others think, but you could definitely handle it... I'm just not convinced it's a good thing that you can."

Now he looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not trying to be condescending or anything, but..." I began. "Well, you're ten. Sure, I will absolutely agree you're far more mature than at least two of the high schoolers in the dorm, yes Junpei is one of them, but you're still pretty young. You've got a whole life to live how you want to live it, so even though you can, I really think it's a better idea you don't get caught up in this."

"Why not?" he asked. "Is it dangerous?"

I paused before answering. "Yeah... it kinda is."

Ken chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "...I see. So, if your friends ask me to help, I should really think about it before I answer them...?"

"Or before you ask them yourself." I said. "Either way, just seriously consider things before you do something. It's a fairly good habit to get into when it comes to most things in life."

He nodded. "Yeah... it does sound like the smart thing to do..."

"Mmhm." I hummed, standing up. "But if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go raid the kitchen."

"Alright." replied Ken as I started walking away. "And, Roy-san?"

I stopped and looked back. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for being honest with me." he said with a smile.

I grinned. "You're welcome, Ken."

**CRASH**

-Whoa hello... Blah blah, Devil Arcana, I've got the munchies now go away.-

I headed downstairs, only for my phone to start ringing once I reached the lounge. I pulled it out and raised an eyebrow when I saw the caller ID.

-Velvet Room... What's Liz calling about this late at night?- "Hello?"

"Hello, Master Roy. I have something urgent to inform you of." said Elizabeth. "It seems someone has wandered into Tartarus..."

I froze. "What?"

"I am very certain, though it took me some time to be sure I was in fact sensing someone within the tower. Whoever they are, they are quite small." she stated. "They also appear to have a connection to you, Master Roy."

"...What."

"_Now for a Missing Persons update." _exclaimed the news from the TV. "_Today a report was filed for the disappearance of Maiko Oohashi, age Seven, of Iwatodai."_

My blood ran cold as my phone dropped from my hand, Elizabeth's voice coming through as she tried to get my attention.. I darted around to stand in front of the TV, hearing a few complaints from behind me.

"_Oohashi was reported missing by her mother and father, who found a note from their daughter stating she was running away."_ the news anchor continued. "_A reward has been offered for any information regarding her whereabouts."_

I stared in horror at the image of Maiko on the screen.

"Maiko-chan..." I said quietly. "No..."

* * *

><p>Author Notes - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnd Cliffhanger because I'm STILL EVIL! MWAHAHAHAHA! Sorry about the four month gap between chapters, but my writing muse just WOULD NOT cooperate with me. Hopefully that's been resolved and shit will start getting done again soon! Also, chapter 15 MIGHT be kinda short, but if all goes well I might have it done in a few days! See you all whenever I get it done!<p> 


	15. Rescue from Death

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

Overlord Duelist - I have not yet begun to be evil, good sir. And yes, Chidori character development. Y'know, that thing I really dropped the ball on in the original A Fool Named Fortune?

Guest - Connecting Roy's past to Maiko's link was gonna happen anyways, same as before. It's just playing out different. As for Roy going on a Shadow-smashing rampage, well... you'll get to see how that all plays out.

Jenni Saba - WELL OF COURSE I'M EVIL! And there's more of Chidori on the way in the next few chapters, methinks. Cuz y'know. The story timeline is almost at the part where she kidnaps Junpei.

I'd like to thank **P.T. Piranha** for Beta Editing this. Also, people, there's a TV Tropes page for this story that's in rather dire need of updating! The link is on my profile so if you wanna spruce it up with new stuff, please feel free(I'd do it, but having the author maintain the page about his story seems excessively silly). And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>The next few hours up until we left for Tartarus that night are... well, hazy at best. I think I sort of just blurted out we were going out that night, no exceptions, then snatched my phone up off the floor and disappeared up to my room to have a small scale panic attack. I wasn't anywhere approaching focused enough to remember everything that went on until we got to Tartarus.<p>

"Fuuka, start scanning." were the first words out of my mouth once everyone was in the lobby. "There's someone stuck in here and we need to find them. Fast."

"Whoa whoa whoa, WHAT?" stammered Junpei, waving his arms back and forth. "Someone got trapped in here? Why the hell didn't you mention that any sooner?"

Mitsuru stepped up right next to him, a pointed look aimed right at my skull. "More importantly, how did you know someone was trapped in here?"

"Because!" I proclaimed, marching right over to the Velvet Room's Door. "One of the people behind THIS-" I turned to face everyone and pounded the back of my fist against the door. "-Fucking door that is invisible to you guys called me up at the dorm a few hours back to tell me someone was in here!"

"Roy-kun, are you okay?" asked Hamuko. "You're acting... odd. Like even for you."

"I'm fine." I lied with a straight face. "I'd just rather not leave someone in this place for too long, especially not when we can do something about it." I started towards the Teleporter. "We have to get moving, so let's go."

"Fortune."

I froze in place, right in front of the stairs.

"I understand the situation requires haste..." she began. "But nobody is going anywhere or doing anything until you explain just what exactly is going on."

"What does it matter? Someone's stuck in this damn tower and could be in serious danger." I stated evenly, trying to keep down the emotions welling up in my throat.

"That's not an answer." she practically growled. "You may be the field leader, but that doesn't mean-"

"I SCREWED SHIT UP, OKAY?!"

I didn't even have to look to know they were all staring at me with stunned expressions.

"I screwed shit up bad." I said, sorrow choking my tone as I sank to my knees. "That little girl on the news... the one who went missing? She's the one in here and it's all my goddamn fault."

"Wh-What?!" Yukari gasped. "What are you talking about?"

"Maiko-chan... I hang out with her at Naganaki Shrine every so often. She started talking about her family... how her parents argue all the time." I began. "A day or so back... she showed up and told me her dad hit her when she was trying to get them to explain why him and her mom were fighting. I calmed her down, but... she wanted to run away from home." I let out a sob. "She figured her parents would stop arguing and try to find her... so... so I offered to help her. I gave her directions to the dorm. Thought, y'know, i-it was better than her just wandering around the city, but..." Another sob. "But..."

I hung my head and started wiping the tears from my eyes as I heard someone walking towards me. I didn't even look to see who it was who wrapped their arms around me.

"Hey... it's okay..." Hamuko. It was Hamuko. "Just calm down, okay...?"

Another loud sob was my first response.

"I... I can't...!" I sputtered. "It's... it's just like back then...! Back with my cousin..."

"...Cody Anderson." Mitsuru's voice that time.

I nodded slowly. "I can't... I can't let it happen...! Not again! Maiko's a sweet little girl, she doesn't deserve this...! I don't... " A choked sob escaped my throat. "I don't want to see her die!"

I heard shifting and some murmuring from the others. Hamuko was still holding onto me, but I pulled free of her grip.

"This... this is my fault..." I stammered as I got to my feet. "I have to set it right... you guys don't... don't have to get involved and potentially hurt because I..." I held back another sob. "...Fucked up."

_{...I think I found her!}_

I froze as I reached for the teleporter's control panel, my head whipping around to stare at Fuuka within Lucia's bubble.

_{It's not exact, but...}_ Fuuka continued. _{She's in the highest block we can reach right now! I'm sure of it!}_

I stared. "...Fuuka...?"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, causing me to turn again. Akihiko was looking at me with a serious expression.

"H-Huh...?" I sputtered. "Akihiko?"

"Just lead the way."

I looked at the others. Junpei had his game face on.

"I got your back, dude." he said. "Like hell I'd leave my best friend to run around this place by himself."

"But..."

"Roy, just let us help okay?" asked Yukari. "You can't do everything by yourself... especially not in the shape you're in right now."

I stared at her for a moment before looking between everyone else. Their expressions all matched Junpei's. Even Shinjiro had a 'I'm helping you so shut up and deal with it' look on his face.

I let out a short laugh, wiping away the last few tears from my face. "Ha... alright... Yukari, Koromaru, Aigis and Hamuko. You guys are with me. Mitsuru, you should take Junpei, Shinjiro, and Akihiko. Two teams, we'll each take half the block. Mitsuru's team should start from as low as possible, my team from the middle and we all work our way up."

"Can Fuuka-san coordinate two groups?" asked Aigis.

"She won't have to." I said. "Koro's coming with me so he can sniff her out, that way Fuuka's not dividing her focus... plus, y'know. Shadows don't really have a scent so it's not like he'd get turned around a bunch. Sound like a plan to you, Senpai?"

Mitsuru seemed to be mentally deliberating things, then nodded. "Indeed. We'll alert Yamagishi if we find the girl."

I smiled wearily. "Thanks... Alright guys, let's roll!"

* * *

><p>It was weird running up the tower without Fuuka guiding us, thankfully it seemed Koromaru was on the ball in leading us around. Well, Pharos was helping too so I can't really give Koromaru all the credit. The Shadows seemed to be in short order, though. There weren't as many as we normally saw stalking the halls.<p>

"Anyone else think it's creepy we're not seeing many Shadows?" asked Hamuko as we passed one of the now-vacant floors that a Tartarus Guardian once occupied. "I mean it's nice, but still..."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." I agreed. "I wonder how the others are doing..."

_{Roy-kun!}_

I jumped slightly. "WHOA JEEZ! What's up, Fuuka?"

_{Mitsuru-senpai's group is almost to where your group started and there's no sign of Maiko-chan, so she told me to help you.}_

"Oh, okay... damn, that was fast. Did they have a lot of Shadows to deal with?"

_{No, hardly any at all.}_ Fuuka reported. _{And the floors were all really small so there wasn't many places to look.}_

-...Okay that is suspicious as hell.- "Alright, can you scope out the floors above us? I'm not sure where we are at this point."

_{Alright. You're at the last Terminal before the barricade, by the way.}_

"Really?" asked Yukari. "Man, what's going on tonight...?"

"Perhaps we are merely fortunate in the formation of Tartarus this evening?" Aigis offered. "It has been less of a hindrance to our progress than previous excursions."

"That just raises a lot of questions!" Pharos blurted out, more than likely not even caring nobody could hear him but me. "Like if this place is controlled by something, to name one!"

-What about the Reaper?- I suggested to him. -I mean he lives here so it's possible... right...?-

Pharos shrugged. "I guess, but who knows?"

_{I found her!}_

That got my attention. "Where is she, Fuuka?"

_{About three floors above you! I'll direct you to her once you're on that floor.}_

"Perfect!" I said, starting towards the stairs. "Let's move, people!"

It didn't take us long to get up the next couple of floors, but once we got to the stairs that'd take us to the floor Maiko was on...

_{Oh no...}_

"What is it, Fuuka?" I asked.

_{I... I sense Death! The Reaper is on the next floor!}_

"WHAT?!" Yukari and Hamuko screeched.

_{Hurry! It hasn't found Maiko-chan yet!}_

"KORO!" I shouted. "FIND HER!"

Koromaru barked sharply, then led the charge up the stairs. He stopped in the first intersection to sniff the floor, then pointed his head down one of the hallways and barked again.

"Follow him!" I shouted, chasing Koro as he darted down the hall. "MAIKO-CHAN! WE'RE COMING TO FIND YOU! JUST STAY PUT!"

I heard some sort of reply, but it was too far away to make out. I also heard the faint rattling of chains coming from behind us.

_{It's following you!} _Fuuka reported. _{Please hurry!}_

"Maiko-chan!" Hamuko shouted. "Can you hear us?!"

"Wh-Who's there?!" came a terrified reply.

"MAIKO-CHAN!" I bellowed.

"Roy-san! I don't like this place!" she called out as I rounded another hallway. "It's scary in here...!"

_{IT'S GOING THROUGH THE WALLS!}_

"KOROMARU! GO!"

He barked sharply, then sped off ahead of us.

"MAIKO!" I shouted. "STAY WITH KOROMARU!"

"O-Okay...!" She replied. "Oh! Doggy! Over here, Doggy!"

I heard Koromaru bark once happily, then rapidly and sharply before Maiko screamed.

-Oh HELL NO!- I thought as I rounded a corner, seeing the Reaper looming over Maiko in a large room at the end of a hallway. She had her back to us and Koromaru was between her and the Reaper. -Good!-

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" I roared in English, my evoker pressed to my head before I quickly pulled the trigger, jamming it back into the holster as Shade surged forward in an explosion of blue mist. He shoulder tackled the Reaper as Maiko turned around and ran towards me.

"Roy-san!" She wailed, only to hit some sort of invisible barrier. "Wha-!" She pounded on it in futility, looking at me with fear in her eyes. "Roy-san!"

"Maiko!" I exclaimed, running closer only to crash to the ground as Shade got thrown into the wall, sending a wave of pain through my body. "AAAAAARGH!"

"Roy-san!" She shouted, then she turned around upon hearing Koromaru whine loudly, likely due to the Reaper knocking Cerberus aside. She had her back to the barrier, and I couldn't see her face as the Reaper advanced towards her. Aigis was right next to me, and Yukari and Hamuko were trying to break through the barrier with their hands and weapons.

"Maiko...!"

"ROY, HOLD STILL!" I heard Pharos shout. "THIS MIGHT HURT A BIT!"

-Wait, huh? What are you-

I was cut off by the feeling of something hitting me in the back, then splitting pain shot through my skull. I screamed as I felt power surge through my body, my right hand automatically grabbing my Evoker and putting it to my head.

"COME FORTH O GOD OF DEATH!" I bellowed in English, the words spilling forth as if something else was in control of me. "THANATOS!"

The gunshot echoed through the halls before a savage roar I hadn't heard in a long time drowned out all other sound. The sound of metal clashing with metal followed, as I could finally see what was going on

That... that thing that exploded out of Shade in April. It was back, and it just smashed through the barrier and was keeping the Reaper occupied.

-What... in the hell...?-

"I'M KEEPING HIM BUSY, WHAT DO YOU THINK?!" Pharos' voice barked in my mind, the monster from April clashing with the Reaper. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

"What's going on?!" Maiko shrieked. "Th-That monster...!"

"Fuuka!" I shouted, forcing myself to my feet. "Find us an access point! Double time if you can!"

_{R-Right!}_

I ran over to Maiko and snatched her off the ground as... I guess that's Pharos had the Reaper pinned against a wall, his sword clashing with the barrels of the Reaper's revolvers. "Let's go everyone! We gotta get out of-"

_**'HOLD.'**_

Just like that, I couldn't move. I could breathe, yes, but actually move from where I was standing? No dice.

"Ngh-! I can't more!" I heard Yukari shout. "What is this?"

I heard a snarl. Too big to be Koromaru, had to be Pharos.

**'Be silent.' **The Reaper. He's talking again. **'I bear them no ill will at present.'**

"Th-That shadow can TALK?!" Hamuko that time.

"Roy-san...?" Maiko. I looked down at her as best I could since I couldn't move my head. The fear in her eyes was plain as day. "I-I'm scared..."

**'It is not yet your time, little one.' **The Reaper again. **'Nor theirs.'**

"And yet we're at your mercy." I noted angrily.

I heard a rumbling chuckle... the Reaper, I presume.

**'Indeed, but it is not as shallow as you seem to assume.' **He said, mirth in his tone.** 'I will release you all and do you no harm... provided one condition is satisfied.'**

I heard a low growl, this one definitely being Koromaru.

"What is your condition?" Aigis. Doesn't sound the least bit happy about this.

**'The Fool.' **The Reaper's voice seemed to be coming from above me as I felt something loom over me. **'He will remain till my curiosity is sated.'**

"Unacceptable!" Aigis again. I heard some loud whirring... she trying to use that Orgia Mode thing she told me about? Wait, then...!

"Aigis, stop." I ordered. "You'll just overheat."

The whirring began to slow down.

I sighed. "...You'll let them all go if I answer your questions?"

**'I am nothing if not a man of my word.'** the Reaper stated. **'Else I would have ended you all rather than speak as I ****have.'**

"...Fine then. Just let them go."

"Roy, don't!" Yukari exclaimed. "What if-"

"And what if back talking like that pisses him off?" I countered. "I'm not letting you guys get killed over this!"

**'Wise words, Fool. The rest of you, begone. I will send him when our discussion is complete.'**

In a flash of green light, everyone in the room except me, Pharos, and the Reaper were gone and I could move again. I shook my arms a few times, turning towards the Reaper. Pharos was standing between him and me, still in that monster form of his.

"...What did you want?" I asked.

The Reaper moved, but Pharos growled again. He seemed to stare at the coffin caped creature infront of him.

**'...I would ask how you acquired your mark.'**

Eyebrow. "Mark?"

**'Your soul. It bears the mark of a god...'** He said, then he looked at Pharos. **'Yet not one that would yield the form before me.'**

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "There's a mark on my soul?"

**'Of course. Do you not know of Philemon's Servant, Igor?'**

My eyes widened. "You know about the Velvet Room...?"

The Reaper nodded. **'Indeed. Fools cannot enter that realm lest a Deity allied with Philemon deem them worthy. You are no exception.'**

"...So I impressed a god at some point?" I asked. "Great, chalk another one up on my crazy tally..."

**'Hmph. You act as though your marker has not spoken to you.'**

"No, the closest things to a God I've dealt with are Igor and a minor run-in with Hito-Shura."

The Reaper's eye widened. **'The Demi-Fiend? And you still draw breath?'**

"Didn't fight him, but him trying to go all out nearly killed me." I replied. "He's living in this city, apparently."

**'...I see. Regardless, I have a more pressing inquiry. How did this child come to be bonded with you?'**

Eyebrow again. "Child...? You mean Pharos?"

**'Correct.'**

"No clue." I admitted. "We met a few months ago, and he got me to sign a contract that Igor somehow got a hold of. Said he was connected to me and that he was waiting for me to turn up."

His eye darted to Pharos again. **'...Interesting. Tell me child, do you know how you gained the form you now bear?'**

Pharos tensed. "...No. I just know I can use it."

"His memory is full of holes." I added. "Apparently it only fixes itself after certain Shadows are destroyed."

The Reaper let out a deep, rumbling hum.

**'...I see.'** He said after several moments. '**My curiosity is sated for the time. Begone, Fool.'**

A flash of green light blinded me for a moment, then I found myself in the lobby. Pharos was there, and was back to normal it seemed.

"Roy!" "Dude!" "Roy-san!" "Roy-kun!"

Everyone suddenly huddled around me, Maiko having latched onto my waist.

"A-Are you okay?" she asked, looking up at me. "Th-That monster didn't hurt you...?"

I shook my head. "No... he just asked questions that didn't make any sense."

"Dude who cares?!" Junpei exclaimed. "Fuuka couldn't get a bead on you once everyone else got beamed down here!"

I looked at the teal haired girl in question, noting how relieved she appeared to be to see me.

"I'm glad you're alright..." she sighed. "I was worried when I lost track of you..."

"What did the Reaper want?" asked Mitsuru.

I shrugged. "He was asking about my power and that... thing that came outta me. I couldn't really answer either very well."

She tensed up slightly, though why I don't know. "...I see."

"Um... why do you all have guns?"

Our attention diverted itself to the seven year old still clinging to me. She had a sleepy look in her eyes.

"And is that lady..." She began, a yawn interrupting her. "...A robot...?"

I smiled. "Tired, Maiko?"

She nodded slowly before rapidly nodding off. I picked her up so she didn't fall over.

"Poor kid..." commented Junpei. "She's only caught up in this cuz of her parents..."

"What kind of people blame their daughter for their own problems?!" Yukari practically snarled. "It's... it's despicable!"

I simply nodded, carrying the sleeping little girl in my arms as we all started leaving Tartarus. "Yeah... I swear if I actually met them in person it probably wouldn't have been very civil..."

"I wouldn't blame you." Hamuko chimed in. "If it was me I'd slap 'em for doing what they're doing!"

"I agree with Hamuko-chan." said Fuuka, the anger in her voice actually surprising me. "Parents are supposed to love their kids, not... not cause something like this to happen."

Akihiko and Shinjiro both had apparently opted to keep quiet, the latter simply grunting in agreement while Akihiko looked about ready to kill something.

"The things that drive some people to such behavior..." Mitsuru said. "I never wish to understand that sort of logic."

"Me either..." I agreed.

Koromaru barked, likely his own affirmation of the topic at hand.

"We'll have to take Maiko to the police station in the morning, though." I commented. "As tired as she is, it'd probably be for the best if she stayed at the dorm tonight..."

"Will such an arrangement be acceptable?" asked Aigis, finally joining the conversation.

Mitsuru smiled. "Of course. It would be cruel to wake her after the ordeal she's had."

"Oh oh! She can stay the night in my room!" Hamuko chimed in. "But what're we gonna tell Ken-kun if he asks about her?"

"One of us had a rough night sleeping, went downstairs for a snack or whatever, found Koromaru scratching at the door, opened it and saw her sleeping on the steps outside." Shinjiro said. "Sounds good enough, right?"

-...That was surprisingly quick and sounds like something I'd come up with.- "Yeah..." I agreed, looking at Maiko for a moment. "And... thanks for helping, guys. Sorry I didn't just... bring it all up in the first place."

"It would have expedited the situation if you had informed us sooner, for certain." Mitsuru said pointedly. "But, given the subject... I imagine it was difficult to speak of something like this."

I didn't say anything.

"Yeah, personal stuff can be really heavy, y'know?" Junpei chimed in. "It's not somethin' ya can just bring up in front of a lot of people..."

I heard Yukari and Hamuko humming in agreement.

"Just keep your head in the game, okay?" said Akihiko, elbowing me lightly. "And don't do it again."

I chuckled. "Alright, alright... but still, thanks guys..."

**CRASH**

-Oh neat, wh-

_**CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CCCRACRASH**_

"-AT THE FUCKING SHIT OW GODDAMN WHAT THE FUCK?!" I practically shouted, English spewing from my mouth as I think like half the Social Links I had went off at once? I have no idea I just remember it fucking hurt like a bitch.

"The hell's wrong with you all of a sudden?" asked Shinjiro.

"I think I just got delayed psychic whiplash..." I said. "Mitsuru-senpai, you remember that thing that popped out of Shade back in April...?"

"...Yes, I recall it."

"Yeah he turned up again during that whole thing with the Reaper..." I stated. "It was weird and my brain hurts now..."

"Sorry 'bout that." Pharos piped up. "But I did warn ya it'd hurt."

-You failed to mention it would hurt like someone was trying to chainsaw their way out of my brain, but I suppose you didn't know it'd hurt THAT bad.-

"No, I didn't."

-Bah...-

"Wait, that thing did what now back in April?" asked Hamuko.

"Uh, short version is it tore its way out of Shade's spine and then it tore apart one of those Full Moon Shadows." I replied, then frowned. "Wait... I'd been in Japan a grand total of three days when that happened. Anyone else think it's weirdly coincidental one of those nasty buggers turned up right around the time I did?"

I looked around at the others, and they were all exchanging glances. Even Aigis looked like that detail was bothering her.

"That is pretty strange..." Yukari agreed. "And... kind of worrying."

Mitsuru nodded. "Indeed, but while it's possible the timing is pure coincidence, we should also take into account Fortune's abilities."

Eyebrow, go! "So what, me breaking almost every known rule of Persona Users woke up one of the Arcana Shadows?"

"It's possible." she said, though she didn't sound entirely convinced. "But in the end it matters little. The Shadows must be destroyed if we're to end the Dark Hour."

"Yeah, who cares why they woke up?" Junpei chimed in. "We'll just beat 'em down and save the day! Simple as that."

Akihiko nodded. "Exactly."

"Mitsuru-san."

The redhead looked over her shoulder. "Yes, Aigis?"

"What will happen to Maiko-san in the morning?" she asked. "If she has the potential, she will likely inquire about tonight's events."

"That's true..." said Fuuka. "It'd cause some trouble if she remembers everything when she wakes up..."

Koromaru whined a little. Not sure if he's worried more about Maiko remembering what happened or what problems it might cause.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." I sighed. "Sadly even my crazy abilities can't tell me if somebody has the potential or not... Only thing we've got going for us is the fact she's a little kid. We could probably convince her it was just a dream, but again, we'll have to wait till morning."

"I hope she doesn't remember." said Junpei with a surprisingly somber tone.

There were some murmurs of agreement, and the rest of the trip to the dorm was silent.

* * *

><p>The next morning was... well, interesting. Like, 'a seven year old tackle glomp alarm clock' interesting.<p>

"Roy-san!" she shouted, latched onto my torso as I struggled to sit up. "Good morning~!"

"Ha, mornin' Maiko-chan..." I laughed. "When did you get here?"

She let go of me and set on the edge of my bed. "Last night! It was kinda late so I fell asleep. One of your friends found me outside and let me in!"

-Oh thank god, she doesn't remember-

"I had a weird dream, though..."

-...Shit.- "How weird?"

"I was in this weird scary mazey place!" She said. "There was fake blood on the walls and monsters in it! But you showed up with a doggy and a robot and a monster guy and beat up this really big bad guy who had guns and saved me! It's hard to remember, but it was really cool!"

-...Okay phew she's missing details and thinks it's a dream anyways CRISIS AVERTED.- "Ha! Sounds cool. But how'd you get into my room?"

"Ai-chan let me in!" reported Maiko. "She said she knew how to get your door open cuz I wanted to say bye before I left."

"You're leaving?"

She nodded sadly. "Yeah... your friends said I had to go to the police station 'cuz they're looking for me."

I gave her a hug. "Well yeah. I heard about it on the news. I think your parents kinda freaked out when you vanished on 'em."

"Well, I am really good at hide and seek." She boasted, though her smile quickly faded. "...I hope they don't fight again."

"Ha, I don't think you'll have to worry about that." I said. "Things are gonna start workin' themselves out now, I'd say."

She looked at me with big eyes. "Really?"

"Really." I stated with a nod. "Who's taking you to the police station?"

"Oh, um, your friend Hamuko-san!" said Maiko. "And Koro-chan is coming, too!"

I laughed. "Cool. Don't cause any trouble for her, okay?"

She hopped off the bed, turned around and saluted me. "Okay! Bye Roy-san!"

"See ya later, Maiko-chan." I said, waving weakly as she scurried out the door.

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana..._

-Ha... well, that's certainly an interesting start to my day.- I thought. -Now let's see what kinda trouble I can get into...-

* * *

><p>Author Notes - Not exactly the longest chapter in the world, is it? I just wanted this to stand on its own rather than tacking it to the end of Chapter 14 because it feels like it really should to me, y'know?<p>

And don't worry. You'll be hearing more about what the Reaper was talking about soon. And I wonder who that god he was talking about could be? hehehehe...


	16. Strange Last Days of Summer

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Yeah Way** - The Reaper's scenes will tend to be a bit abrupt, considering the nature of the character and some of the plans I have for him. It's kind of a recurring thing with characters similar to the Reaper, in fact, that you might see more of in later chapters. Also, keep in mind that the entirety of Reshuffled save one scene in this chapter and the Switch it up! Chapters are written in character by Roy himself. And please, stay away from the original A Fool Named Fortune. I admit, I like jokes and some ideas I used in it, but the overall story is just... terrible. It's hard to really explain, honestly.

**A Jack Frost Guy** - NO I JUST SAID DON'T READ THE ORIGINAL AAAAAA- *ahem* Sorry. But I'm glad you enjoyed it! Most of the SMT and Persona 1/2 references are not intended to majorly impact the plot, just set the stage for some world building of the Reshuffled version of the Persona series timeline(short version is it's a very silly timeline) though some of it does end up impacting some of the minor events and/or sub plots of characters.

**Kirie Mitsuru** - Aaaaaah, I'm glad you gave this story a chance! It's been great fun to work on, and I hope to update it much more regularly(Like, weekly if all goes well) starting with the next chapter so there won't be months upon months of waiting for new content. BUT STAY AWAY FROM THE ORIGINAL AFNF IT'S HORRIBLE *SOBS LOUDLY*

This chapter doesn't actually HAVE a beta yet because of reasons, but a good friend of mine by the name of **Lady Starwing** had a hand in helping me get through tough spots I had writing this chapter! YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT HER STORIES AND ART THEY'RE GREAT and sorry this one took several months. I'm trying to see about actually getting through this story quicker, but anyways ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>The day following Maiko's rescue was probably the most normal day I'd had since that night at the Dorm back in April. Well, discounting Aigis' status as an Anti-Shadow Unit, anyways. Day after that, though, Akihiko really wanted to talk to me, so we headed to the shrine. Why we couldn't just chat at the dorm I don't think I'll ever know.<p>

"So what's on your mind, Senpai?" I asked, leaning against the slide rather than sitting on a bench.

He didn't answer. Instead, he just stared at the ground.

"Akihiko?"

"...That was an impressive thing you did." He said suddenly. "Going that far for someone you care about."

Eyebrow. "What thing...? You mean my really stupid and rushed rescue attempt that, had the Reaper not been in a good mood, probably would've gotten me killed?"

"Regardless of the outcome, or what could have happened, it's still impressive." stated Akihiko, looking up at me. "To put yourself at that much risk for the people you care about... it says a lot about you as a person, y'know?"

"Yeah, I guess so..." I admitted, scratching my head. Shame it was too hot today or I'd have had my fedora on. "But, why the sudden compliments? I reacted the way I did because I was scared shitless by the possible consequences."

He didn't answer right away, instead looking away again.

"...The way you handled yourself... I wish I could be like that." He said solemnly. "I wish I had the strength and the courage to protect what was important to me..."

-What in the...?- "Uh, Senpai, without counting other SEES Members, you're basically the toughest guy in school AND Captain of the Boxing Team."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Even as strong as I've become, I have to be stronger."

"Why?"

Akihiko let out a heavy sigh. "Because I'm like you. I lost someone important to me in the past."

I stared at him quietly, glancing over at Pharos who was silently seated on the jungle gym a little ways behind me. He didn't seem like he had an idea of what to say about this, instead gesturing towards Akihiko with his head without a word.

"...How important?" I asked hesitantly. "I mean, if you want to talk about it."

"...My sister." he replied. "Miki."

-...Well.- "...I see."

"Our parents died when we were little." He continued. "Ended up in an orphanage, where we met Shinji and obviously we hit it off pretty well."

I let out a short laugh. "That's putting it lightly."

Akihiko chuckled as well. "Yeah. He's been my best friend for years... almost like a brother, really. He'd always try and help me cheer up Miki whenever she was sad, or go out of his way to make her happy. We were a family, even if none of the other kids really talked to us."

"I'm sensing the good times were not to last, though..."

He nodded grimly. "There was a fire at the Orphanage one night. I'm almost positive it was around the same time the Dark Hour first started happening, it's hard to say for certain after this long. But... I still remember that night clear as day." Akihiko sat back, his gaze shifting skyward. "It was late. Really late. I woke up because Miki was screaming. It didn't take me long to find out why."

"...The fire?"

Akihiko didn't say anything. He just stared at the ground quietly before eventually nodding again. "I couldn't see anything when I woke up. It was too hot and the smoke was too thick. Shinji managed to find me and drag me out, but Miki..."

"I can hazard a guess from there, but... why tell me about all of this?" I asked. "I mean, this is heavy stuff... are you really okay with telling all this to a dude you've known for what, almost five months at this point?"

"Because of the way you were acting that night." He replied. "When you started just... falling apart because of something that'd happened in your past. I watched that and... I saw some of myself in your actions."

I chuckled sadly. "Found a kindred spirit?"

"Something like that." He replied with a laugh of his own before standing up. "But with that said, if you ever need some help I'll lend a hand. All I ask is that you return the favor."

I smirked and held out a hand. "Anything for a friend."

Akihiko smiled back, shaking my hand.

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Star Arcana..._

-...I dunno why, but that one felt... better.-

"Probably a friendship thing." Pharos commented.

-Yeah... probably.-

"Anyways, I had an idea I wanted to talk to you about."

Eyebrow, go! "What's the idea?"

"Ever since that time we sparred at school, I've been watching you fight whenever I can." He said. "Your style is kind of all over the place... exactly what kind of Martial Arts do you know?"

I laughed. "I know some US Marine Hand-to-Hand, a bit of Karate, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do, and at few Muay Thai techniques. Everything else is impromptu stuff I've made up on the fly. A friend of mine once described my style as 'having turned flailing around like a complete idiot into a surprisingly effective form of self defense'."

Akihiko seemed surprised. "Really? You never joined any clubs or got any belts?"

"Nope." I admitted. "Well, until Gekkoukan anyways. According to the coach I'm probably a three or four-stripe purple belt."

He gave an impressed whistle. "If that's the case with only know a 'bit' of a few different styles..."

"Well, when I say 'a bit' I mean like 'I spent close to a year learning some of these things'." I clarified. "Suffice to say I had an interesting childhood on the weekends and in summer."

His response to that was to just stare at me silently like I'd grown a second head.

"...That doesn't count as 'a bit', Roy." he finally said. "But you've seriously got some skills..."

"Yeah, but my homeroom teacher, Miss Toriumi? She's a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do." I stated. "Her hands are legally deadly weapons."

Akihiko snickered. "I heard about that. I don't think Junpei knows that detail yet, though."

"Oh man his face is gonna be priceless..." I chuckled. "But anyways, you had an idea?"

"Yeah, I did." he said. "I want to learn some of your skills."

Eyebrow again. "I'm not sure half what I know is even any good for boxing."

He shrugged. "Well, there's gotta be something and I can teach you a few things I know as well."

"So basically, we're going to punch each other until we figure out how to do what the other guy is doing?" I asked.

"I guess that's a simple way of putting it, yeah..." said Akihiko. "What do you say?"

I just stared at him, then shrugged. "What the hell? Why not. Couldn't possibly be dumber than half the other things I've done in my life."

Akihiko's expression turned into that one intense grin he has when he starts getting seriously intense about training and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Alright." he said. "Then let's get started."

-I immediately regret this decision.-

* * *

><p>-I will never tell anyone the extent of the regret I had for that decision. Nor will Pharos or I will hurt him, ghost or not.-<p>

"Yeah yeah, I know..."

-Good.-

But anyways, that whole thing with Akihiko ate up basically the entire rest of the day. I wish it hadn't, because not being worn out from all that would've made what was to come a lot easier to process right up front, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. It started the day after my sparring with Akihiko with a knock on my door.

"It's me." came Mitsuru's voice. "I apologize for the interruption, but do you have a moment?"

"Yeah." I replied, walking over and opening the door while Pharos sat on my bed. "What's up, Senpai?"

She smiled simply. "Good Morning. The Chairman will be here tonight, so we'll be meeting on the fourth floor."

"Something big?" I asked.

"I believe so." She replied, some apprehension and uncertainty in her eyes which had me a bit nervous. "But, the Chairman wouldn't give any details as he didn't want to 'spoil' the surprise."

I frowned. "Well, guess we can't do much but wait till tonight then... what time's he gonna show up?"

"Around nine pm." Mitsuru stated. "If you intend to go out today, please try to be back before then."

"Alright senpai. See you later, then."

She merely nodded before walking away, her heels clicking as she left.

"Why do I have a feeling of impending dread?" Pharos asked. "Because I've got one all of a sudden."

-I dunno Pharos, but I've got one too.-

* * *

><p>There wasn't much point in hanging out in my room, so I headed downstairs and found Aigis sitting by herself on the couch.<p>

"Hey Aigis." I said, leaning over the back of the couch. "What's up?"

She turned to look at me. "Oh, Good morning Roy-san. And currently nothing is 'up' beyond being informed there is a meeting tonight. Junpei-san recommended I relax until then, however I am not sure how. Do you have any suggestions for how to relax, Roy-san?"

"Hmm..." I tapped my hand on the back of the sofa slightly. "Well, there's that Film Festival still going on down a the theater for a few more days, so if you want, we could go to the movies."

Aigis tilted her head to one side. "The... movies? I see... so going out is considered relaxing, too?"

I shrugged. "Sometimes. Depends on context, like a lot of things."

"I comprehend." She replied. "Then let us go and relax, Roy-san."

"Ha, alright. Lemme just get somethin' to eat first."

"Understood."

* * *

><p>I wasn't expecting what was playing at the theater that day.<p>

"...'Ninja War'..." Aigis said, inspecting one of the movie posters as we waited in line, then she looked at me. "Does this refer to opposing platoons of ninjas on the screen?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. I've never seen it, so I guess we'll have to find out."

"I see." She replied, adjusting the long sleeved shirt she was wearing slightly. "According to Junpei-san, 'Ninjas are the coolest of the cool'. I would like to ascertain the accuracy of this statement for myself."

I snickered while Pharos just started dying of laughter. He does that a lot.

"Well, it's an opinion Aigis." I told her. "He thinks ninjas are cool, I like pirates. It varies from person to person, really."

"I comprehend... And it appears that it is our turn in line."

"Oh, cool. Two tickets for the marathon, please."

* * *

><p>"Okay, I gotta admit, that was actually pretty cool." I said as we left the theater after the marathon was over. "Legend of Tenki was probably my favorite out of the bunch..."<p>

"I have updated my information on ninjas." Aigis announced as we walked along, apparently not having heard my comment. "Ninja is the ultimate status that a man can achieve. In combat, the power of their body is equivalent of highly advanced special weapons. They were war machines, with unparalleled fighting skill."

I scoffed. "That's not exactly accurate, though. Real ninjas were assassins and the only time you'd ever see one directly would be if you hired one, were about to be killed by one, or if the ninja screwed up and was gonna get themselves killed. They didn't fight directly, they uses deception, tactics, poison and such rather than flashy techniques or any sort of crazy magic powers."

Aigis gave me a curious look. "What if a ninja was also a Persona-User?"

"That..." I began, then I paused and put my hand on my chin. "...That is actually a good question. I mean we can't be the only Persona-Users around I would assume, meaning it's possible that way back when there were ninjas that had Personae... Hell, that actually might explain a lot of old myths and legends about people doing amazing things. Even part of the infamous 'ninja magic' could've been based on someone seeing an actual person from way back then with a Persona..."

"Then we are also ninjas?"

I tried to not laugh, much more successfully than Pharos' attempt.

"I don't think so, Aigis." I chuckled. "Still, if Persona Users have been around that long, then Shadows would've as well... I mean, they'd have to be, right?"

Aigis was quiet for a moment, then she nodded. "Indeed. Personae are needed to combat Shadows. And if they could have been attributed to historical myths, the same could likely be said of Shadows. Perhaps playing the part of mythical monsters?"

"Yeah... yeah that would make a lot of sense." I agreed. "That actually also answers my question of where the hell the Kirijo Group got their hands on Shadows for their experiments way back when... And I guess in a way, the Dark Hour probably ended up containing them if they were just loose. In theory, getting rid of the Dark Hour would effectively put a lid on any other potential Shadow-related incidents... though that doesn't really hold water if Shadows were just loose in the world easily. They'd be much more common knowledge then..." I shook my head. "Gah, forget it, I'm not trying to make anymore sense of that. It's just hurting my brain."

"Do you require aspirin again, Roy-san?"

I shook my head again. "Nah, I'll just stop thinking about it..."

"I apologize..." she said, sounding rather sad. "My inquiries have caused you undo stress and interrupted your relaxation... is there a way I can assist you?"

I waved a hand dismissively. "No no, it's fine Aigis, really. No harm done. Did you at least have a good time?"

Aigis was silent again for a few seconds before she answered. "Indeed. It was quite an enjoyable experience... though I am curious as to why the existence of ninjas has ceased..." The little gears in her headphones started spinning and making a noticeable whirring noise. "Was it an ice age...? Perhaps the proliferation of the Internet?"

I chuckled quietly while Pharos, still trying to recover from his earlier giggles, started busting a gut again.

"An enigma I may never resolve..." she noted with a sigh, the whirring stopping as her gears slowed down and she looked at me. "Thank you very much for today, Roy-san. I shall call you Roy-ninja from now on."

And then I promptly started to just die laughing, grabbing Aigis' shoulder so I didn't fall over because that had absolutely perfect comedic timing in my book. After a few moments, she started laughing as well. Quietly at first, but soon she was laughing almost as hard as I was. We stayed like that for probably two or three minutes before we started to finally catch our breath.

"Haha... oh my god Aigis, that was great... haha..." I said between fading chuckles.

"Hehe... thank you, Roy-san." She replied with a small smile. "I'm glad you liked my first attempt at a humorous joke."

I grinned. "You're welcome, Aigis."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Aeon Arcana..._

-Cool.-

"We should return to the dorm soon." she noted. "It is not long until the meeting begins."

I glanced at my watch. "Yeah, better get movin'. Onward!"

* * *

><p>Back at the dorm, the gang was all gathered up in the command room.<p>

"So anyone know what the big meeting is about?" I asked, leaning back in my seat on the couch next to Aigis. "I just got the memo to show up here..."

"I wanna say we'll be getting a new member, but..." Akihiko trailed off. "Well, I have my doubts..."

Shinjiro grunted. "The amount of Persona users in this town as is already seems like an impossible coincidence..."

"Well if it's not a new teammate, what is it?" Hamuko asked. "Think it's some new information on Shadows...?"

"We won't know until the Chairman arrives..." Mitsuru noted, glancing at the clock. "...And he's already late as it stands."

Junpei hummed, then sat up straighter on the stool he was on. "That reminds me, anyone seen Ken today? I haven't seen or heard a peep from him all day..."

The general response to Junpei's question amounted to a big ol' nope.

Yukari started to say something, but the Command Room doors opened and in walked captain creeper himself.

"In Super Creeper Mode it seems..." commented Pharos. "Or is it just me?"

-Nah, I'm getting that vibe myself...-

"Good, you're all here..." said Ikutsuki, then he looked over his shoulder. "Please come in."

The reaction to the person who walked in from the three upperclassmen already tells me there's something very bad going on with this situation.

Ken, however, just smiled nervously. "Sorry to interrupt..."

"Ken-kun...!" exclaimed Fuuka. "Why are you here...?"

The kid squirmed in place, like he wasn't used to having people all staring at him. "I'm going to be joining you guys."

"You must be kidding..." Akihiko said, looking straight at Ikutsuki.

"And if you are, it isn't funny." added Shinjiro. "In the slightest."

Ikutsuki shook his head. "No, I'm quite serious. After running several tests, we've learned has more then adequate potential. I called the meeting so I could inform you all he'll be joining our squad."

"Okay, call me crazy and pardon my blunt English here..." I said in Japanese before switching straight into English so Ken wouldn't understand a word I was saying. "But are you out of your fucking mind?!"

"Now now, no need for such language-"

I stood up, still yammering in English since I was now completely aware Ikutsuki could still understand me. "I think making a child soldier out of a ten year old to fight goddamn brain eating monsters by blowing our fucking brains out with magic handguns warrants me talking like this."

"I have to agree with Fortune." Mitsuru added, likewise standing up though she was speaking Japanese. "Amada is still in elementary school." She seemed to hesitate for a moment. "And besides..."

Ikutsuki raised an eyebrow at the both of us. "Roy-san, I think you're overreacting a little. And besides what, Mitsuru? His ability is quite promising, and with the proper training he could be a big help."

"No no, I'm not disputing his ability to fight Shadows." I carried on, still in English. "The fact this kid is giving off vibes that rival Captain Shitwreck, better known as Shinjiro-san, tells that story clearly enough. What I'm disputing is putting a TEN YEAR OLD in a fly or die scenario every night!"

"I'm only getting about every third word Roy's saying, and I'm on his side, too." stated Shinjiro. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"And besides all of that..." began Akihiko. "What does he even think of this?"

"Actually, I asked to join." said Ken, causing everyone in sans Ikutsuki to shift their gaze to him. "I believe I can be of some assistance..." His gaze became surprisingly intense. "...Now I know why I was given this power."

I glanced at the upperclassmen, who were all exchanging uneasy looks.

-There's some bad juju here, Pharos.- I thought. -I'm sure of it.-

"No kidding..." he agreed.

"So as you can see, it was his own decision regardless." stated the chairman, almost sounding... proud? I don't know. "I did very little beyond repeatedly ask if he was certain of his choice."

Ken smiled. "It's nice to meet you all. I'll try to not get in anyone's way."

"Nice to meet you, too." replied Aigis.

"Ah, don't worry about it kid." Junpei said. "It may be kinda tough sometimes, but we got your back!"

Ken's expression seemed to brighten at the comment. "Thank you."

-There is so much wrong with this picture.-

* * *

><p>I headed back to my room without much else to say about the situation, really. Despite the fact, yes, Ken would most likely be a great help... man it's just fucked up to send a kid his age into this even if it was his idea y'know? And it's not like we're shorthanded or anything, there's like eleven Persona users among us at this point without counting Ken. Shit's messed up, but... yeah I'll get on with the actual writing shit down part again. Sorry.<p>

Anyways, my mood was still pretty bad the next day, so I ended up heading to Port Island. I got there sometime in the early afternoon, so I snagged some lunch and headed towards the station to find a place to sit down and eat, which lead me to encountering a familiar face.

"Hey there." I said, approaching that artist girl I'd seen before. "Alright if I sit here?"

She looked up at me, but returned her attention to her art without a word. Taking that as a 'I'm not stopping you', I sat down next to her and started digging into my food. After a minute or so, the sound of her pencil scratching across her drawing pad slowed to a stop. I glanced in her direction and she seemed to be staring at me. I didn't pay much mind to it until I heard quite possibly one of the loudest stomach growls on the planet. I looked over at her with a slightly bemused smirk.

"Hungry?" I asked after I finished eating the bite of sweet and sour chicken in my mouth.

Her face was slightly red now, and she looked away from me. I shook my head lightly, then offered her the take out box of teriyaki chicken I'd gotten in addition to the sweet and sour.

"Huh?" she asked, looking at me in confusion.

I just kept offering her the take out box. "If you're hungry, help yourself to this. I don't mind."

She stared at me quietly for almost a solid minute before she finally took the take out box, cracked it open, and dug in like a starved wolf. Poor girl must've been absolutely starving. I just smiled as I dug back into my food, and thus we sat there quietly eating for a little while, though once she finished her food she seemed to find her voice.

"Thank you." She said with a small smile.

I chuckled. "You're welcome. And don't worry about like, paying me back or anything. I just like to help people."

Her expression upon hearing that from me was not what I was expecting. It was like the concept of someone being polite like that was completely foreign to her. "...I see..."

"Is it that unusual?" I asked, shaking my head lightly. "Here, lemme take care of that..."

I snatched up the empty take out box and headed over to a trash can with it, tossing it inside along with the now empty one I'd been eating from. When I turned around to head back to the girl, she was doing something curious.

That being preventing Pharos from looking at what she was drawing as if she could actually see him.

"What're you doing?" I asked, predicting they'd both answer.

"Drawing." replied the artist girl.

"Wondering how she knows I'm trying to see what she's drawing." complained Pharos. "I wanna see it..."

"Ah." I said, sitting down next to her again. "What're you drawing?"

She sighed. "You wouldn't understand it."

"Something for a friend?"

The girl paused for a moment. "...You could say that."

I smiled. "Well, I hope they like it. As for me, I'll get out of your hair." -Come along, Pharos. We have shenanigans that await.-

"Yeah, yeah..." he replied, giving up on his attempts at spying on the girl's art and walking towards me.

"I'll see you around miss..." I began, trailing off as I stood up. "...Y'know, I never caught your name. Mine's Roy."

She glanced up at me. "...Chidori."

"Well, I hope the rest of your day is pleasant, Chidori." I said, tipping my hat at her. "Farewell for now."

She gave me a perplexed and slightly bemused look before returning her attention to her art before I walked away.

**CRASH**

-Eh?-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Temperance Arcana..._

-Nice. Anywho, ONWARD!-

* * *

><p>"So where are we headed now?" Pharos asked. "The mall?"<p>

-Yeah, probably.- I replied. -Gonna check out that one game store because of reasons.-

"You are such a... wait, who the heck is that?"

I looked at Pharos, and he was pointing at something. I turned to see what he was indicating, and there was a tall, dark skinned man talking with a girl who seemed to have tiger striped hair... and was dressed like something out of feudal era Japan.

"The hell...?" I muttered, walking towards the unusual pair.

The girl seemed to be angry at first, but then she calmed down, waved at the other guy, then wandered off before I could get close enough to hear them. The guy turned towards me with a suspiciously knowing smirk on his face.

"Hello again, young man." He said once I was close. "It's not polite to eavesdrop you know."

Eyebrow. "I didn't hear anything anyways... and when have we met before?"

"Forgotten already?" He asked, now speaking english with the most stereotypically thick African accent possible. "You were with that woman in blue last time... Elizabeth, I believe is her name."

-...Wait, this was the guy I crashed into?- "...You've met her?"

"Not quite, at least not before that time." He replied casually. "Though it's hard to have not heard of Igor or the famous Velvet Siblings who work for him."

"...What."

"I'm well aware of Personas and Shadows and the like, young man." stated the guy. "Or would you rather I use your name, Mr. Fortune?"

-Taaaaking a step back now...- "How do you know my name?"

"How do you think you got into the Velvet Room?" he countered. "Or did Igor not tell you about the mark?"

-Mark...? Wait, that's what...!- "No, he didn't... I heard about it from someone else."

That seemed to surprise this guy. "I see... I'd ask who, but I feel it won't matter. Allow me to introduce myself."

He tipped his wide brimmed hat with a small bow, and the air seemed to get... I dunno, but if you could FEEL darkness what I was feeling would be it.

"I am Anansi." He said, standing up straight... and revealing that his eyes now suddenly had four pupils each. "The trickster spider."

I just stared at him for a moment, finally noticing he didn't have an arcana like a normal person did.

"Is it really that surprising?" asked Anansi, sounding a bit worried. "You met the Demi-Fiend, so I presumed you'd be used to this sort of thing..."

I kept making a 'what the actual fuck' expression as I started talking. "Meeting a deity is not in the same realm of insanity as meeting a half demon badass who nearly killed me by accident while powering up to Super Saiyan."

"Ha! I suppose you're correct in that regard." He admitted. "But still, it is nice to finally make your acquaintance."

"I'd be honored, but I'm too busy wondering why an African deity is in Japan."

"I'm in the country to help an old friend with something." replied Anansi.

I scoffed. "What, did Susano-O break something?"

"No, he's in Iceland trying to apologize to Thor because of a misunderstanding." said Anansi. "My friend prefers I not casually mention them, so you'll have to forgive me if I don't use their name."

"Or gender specific pronouns that might narrow it down..." commented Pharos.

"I heard that."

Pharos and I both gawked at Anansi.

"I'm a deity." he said. "Does this really surprise you?"

I frowned for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it really shouldn't, huh...? But, to get more on topic... what exactly IS that mark?"

"The mark is exactly what is sounds like." stated Anansi. "If a god sees a human of the Fool arcana, they are judged and if deemed worthy by the god who found them, are given a mark to let Philemon's servant Igor know to let them into the Velvet Room."

Eyebrow again. "So, what? Not only am I an above average persona user, but a fucking deity picked me out for the job? Why?"

"Because you're quite possibly the most entertaining human I've ever seen." He said. "And I've seen quite a few over the centuries."

I stared at him. "...So I got marked by you because I'm a funny motherfucker?"

"Pretty much."

I looked at Anansi, then at Pharos, then back at Anansi and chuckled a little.

"Shit man, that's..." I said with a laugh. "Actually pretty awesome..."

"By the way... who was that girl you were talking to earlier?" asked Pharos.

"Hrm? Oh, that was Bishamonten's avatar." replied Anansi. "Apparently my presence had him concerned, so he sent his avatar to investigate. I had to show her proof Amaterasu was allowing me to roam about Japan without issue."

"So... Godly Work Visa?"

He shrugged. "More or less."

"Ha! Well, I hope you manage to sort out your thing with your buddy." I said, starting to walk past Anansi. "Catch you later I-"

He stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"I have one question for you before you scurry off, Mr. Fortune." said Anansi. "Do you know who that kid is?"

"Pharos?" I asked. He nodded in response. "Not really. He's got some kinda connection to the big shadows we've been dealing with... and you're the second one to ask me that question."

That seemed to surprise him, more so than my comment about someone else mentioning the mark earlier did. "Who was the first?"

"A big shadow in Tartarus." I said. "We know it as the Reaper. Big, ugly bugger dual wielding revolvers with three foot long barrels. Same guy brought up the mark."

Anansi's eyes narrowed and -GODDAMN the whole four pupil thing is fucking creepy!-

"The Reaper... interesting." He murmured, taking his hand off my shoulder. "Well, I shan't keep you longer. Though I'm surprised you haven't gone philosophical, freaked out, or started asking 'what is the meaning of life'."

"I think the fact my life took a turn on fourth and bananas about five months ago has something to do with that." I admitted. "Plus I've always been a go with the flow kind of guy. And besides, if Greek mythology is anything to go by, you gods have about as much idea about the meaning of life as we do, just with a vastly greater capacity to break things."

The god let out a sharp laugh. "Ha! Well, that's certainly one way to look at things."

"By the way, is you hanging around gonna become a regular thing?"

"It might." He admitted. "Depends on how the cards are dealt."

"Oh hardy har har, Tarantulus." I deadpanned.

Anansi merely chuckled as he decided to just fade into a shadow and disappear.

"Roy?"

I looked down. "Yeah Pharos?"

"You're an insanity magnet."

I sighed. "I know, Pharos..."

* * *

><p>About a half hour later was the first in a chain of events that will likely never cease to make me laugh like a maniacal genius. It started off badly, however, when I found Junpei at Paulownia Mall, seated on a bench near a fountain with his head in his hands.<p>

"Hey Junpei." I said casually, walking over to him. "What's the matter?"

He didn't look up. "...I'm an idiot. A complete fucking idiot."

-Whoa holy self loathing Batman!- "Oh come on man, that's bullshit."

"No it's not!" He snapped, looking up at me. His eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying. "I'm fucking moron, just like my old man!"

I was quite thankful he still had the sense to not be screaming a the top of his lungs despite how clearly upset he was. "Okay, context time. What the hell happened and is there anything I can do to help?"

Junpei scowled, turning his head away. "My dad... he lost a lot of money in a telemarketing scam a few years ago. Wasn't too long after my mom..."

"Skip that part." I said, cutting him off from delving any deeper into that memory. "I'm assuming that detail about your dad is why you're upset now?"

He nodded. "Some asshole scammed me outta every cent I had... even the paycheck from Mitsuru-senpai..."

-Holy shit, and she's not exactly stingy on those things!-

* * *

><p>"Hey, Roy?"<p>

I looked over my shoulder at Pharos, who was standing next to me. -What?-

"I'm pretty sure that's the first time you mentioned the paychecks in your journal."

-...Is it?- I looked back at the screen of my computer. -You sure?-

He nodded. "Pretty sure it is... Why didn't you mention it sooner?"

I shrugged. -Well, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who's gonna read this, so why should I?-

"And if someone finds it?" He asked.

-It'd be someone in SEES, and they know about the paychecks Mitsuru gives us.-

"Compensation for you guys running headlong into 'oh shit we might die' situations, right?"

-That is is Pharos.- I replied. -Can I get back to writing now?-

"Sure thing." He said, hopping back onto the bed. "And you gonna put this in the journal?"

-Psh, why would I?- I scoffed mentally. -It'd sound like ham fisted exposition or some shit that comes outta nowhere in the middle of something.-

* * *

><p>"So who's this scamming asshole?" I asked.<p>

Junpei glared over his shoulder and pointed his thumb at- "Hey wait a second, I know that guy!"

He looked up at me. "Huh?"

"It's that dude who runs that home shopping channel thing!" I said. "That Tanaka guy! And he scammed you outta money? How much exactly?"

"...Forty thousand yen."

I grinned evily, a cunning plan rapidly forming in my mind as I noticed one of the thugs from June was in the mall. "Well my friend, I think know what to do to help in this situation..."

Junpei, likely despite his current mood, looked intrigued. "What?"

"Well..."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes of plan revealing later, and I was walking up to Tanaka.<p>

"Excuse me, sir..." I said, tapping on his shoulder.

Tanaka just gave me a look. "What is it?"

"You might want to go after that guy." I said, pointing past him at the thug I noticed. "I saw him snag your wallet."

The suit clad man's eyes widened and he checked his pockets, indeed finding his wallet was gone.

"Thank you young man." He replied, then he stormed off towards the punk. I just casually walked back over to Junpei, Tanaka's wallet in my pocket.

"Now we just watch the fireworks..." I chuckled, Junpei already looking very content with what was happening with the Scam Artist arguing with the thug.

"Roy, you're evil sometimes." Commented Pharos.

-I know, buddy. I know.-

And then, everything went wrong in one of the best ways I've ever had the pleasure to behold.

"Piss off, ya old bastard!" shouted the punk, shoving Tanaka back. Normally, this would've probably led to a fist fight that the cops broke up, if not one major thing.

There was one of those cleaning buckets on wheels in the path of Tanaka's left foot.

The suit wearing business jerk promptly sailed backwards across the mall, flailing his arms around while trying to not lose balance. Several people dove out of the way, save one person who, in a panic, shoved Tanaka in a completely different direction. Still flailing around like a moron, he eventually slammed right into a really buff dude and caused him to smash a milkshake all over his shirt and face. Big dude didn't look happy, and he punched Tanaka right in the jaw, sending the hapless businessman flying across the mall YET AGAIN, only this time he smashed through a vegetable stand that I'm almost entirely certain wasn't there five seconds ago and seemed to only have cabbages on it.

"MY CABBAGES!" cried out the owner of the veggie stand as Tanaka continued his bucket ride across the mall, now covered in bits of cabbage .

Now in his path were a couple of girls who I, if I didn't know better, would say were sisters of me and Akihiko. The red haired one -who was stupidly tall for a Japanese girl I mean holy shit she had to be like six feet- shoved Tanaka a different direction, this time causing him to startle a few people who came out of a hardware store -Since when was there one of those in a mall?-, which made them to drop their stuff in a way that managed to form a mini-ramp that he promptly sailed off of and into the fountain in the middle of the mall.

Naturally, with all the commotion, Junpei and I were left to our own devices as the various other people in the mall reacted to the near Tom and Jerry quality shenanigans that just befell Mr. Tanaka.

"Hey Roy?"

I looked over at Junpei. "Yeah?"

"You're the best friend a guy could ask for." He said, grinning like mad as he stared at Tanaka searching for his toupee that'd fallen off in the fountain. "That was totally worth the money I lost."

"Except you get a refund." I said, digging out forty thousand yen from Tanaka's wallet and handing it to Junpei. "Best day?"

He bumped fists with me. "Best day."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana..._

-Fuck yes.-

It was at this point uproarious laughter erupted from next to me and Junpei, prompting us to turn towards the source; a old, bald monk who was practically beside himself in hysterics.

"Haha! Ah man..." he looked at us. "You two had a hand in that, didn't you?"

I looked at Junpei. He looked at me. We shrugged, then turned back to the monk.

"It was his idea." Junpei said, pointing at me. "I got scammed by the suit guy."

"Ha! Well, how's that for karma for the bastard?" chuckled the Monk. "In all my years, I've never seen that much bad luck catch up to a guy in one place. And I've seen some shit in my days you kids wouldn't believe! Did you plan that whole thing?"

I shook my head. "Just him arguing with the punk. By the way, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure thing, kid." He replied, still trying to contain his laughter. "And not ratting you out doesn't count, that shit was too funny ta throw anyone under the bus for."

I held the wallet out to the Monk. "Tell the dude you found his wallet."

The old monk grinned, taking the wallet. "It made be a lie, but I doubt Buddha would hold it against me. Ol' Mutatsu's got a good track record. You kids get on outta here now, y'hear?"

Junpei and I nodded as we started for the door.

"Thanks!" we both called out as we scurried out of the mall with Pharos hot on our heels, the three of us giggling like idiots as we headed for Port Island Station.

* * *

><p>Junpei's mood was vastly improved by the shenanigans, and even moreso when we passed a game store that was still taking pre-orders on the PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia. Naturally, being the nerds that we are, we both slapped down some money for it. Clearly we have the best priorities.<p>

Their wasn't much to talk about that happened that night, besides Pharos mentioning there was only a week to the next full moon. The following day, which was the last day of the summer holiday, got off to a semi mundane sort of weird start.

"Yes!" Hamuko cheered at the screen of her laptop as she furiously mashed keys. "No amount of bullet hell will stop me!"

I raised an eyebrow and looked over at her from the pancakes I was eating across the table from her. "The hell are you doing?"

"Fighting a tiger haired avatar of a war god and- WHAT THEY CURVE WHAT IS THIS SHIT?!" She exclaimed, giving her computer the most distraught 'What even' look I've ever seen from her. "That was my last life! Damn you, Shou Toramaru!"

"No really, what the hell?" I asked. "What are you doing?"

"Playing Touhou, duh." replied Hamuko, rolling her eyes as she presumably started up a new game. "Seirensen – Undefined Fantastic Object. It just got released not too long ago!"

I suddenly felt a wave of dread wash over me and I still have no idea why. "You're a Touhou fan?"

"Mmhm." She said casually. "I love these games, the characters, and the music."

"Ah..." I commented, then I noticed her hair. "...Hamuko?"

She looked up at me. "Yeah?"

"Why is your hair turning pink?"

"Stress over my last life going down the toilet..." she sighed.

"No, I mean your hair is turning pink at the roots." I clarified. "Did you dye your hair?"

Hamuko looked up at me from her game with wide eyes. "Wait what?"

"The roots of your hair are pink..." I repeated. "Is that your natural hair color? I thought you were a brunette..."

Suddenly, Hamuko seemed very embarrassed. "O-Oh, um..."

"Just like color better?" I asked, trying to avoid being a jerk as much as possible.

Her expression took a turn from 'embarrassed' to 'depressed' in the span of the time it took me to blink once.

"...Something like that." She replied quietly. "Among other things..."

-Oh hell, I hit a big ol' can of worms...- I mentally winced. "...Ah..."

"It's nothing to worry about, though!" Hamuko stated with a cheery smile, trying to put me at ease. Probably would've worked if I couldn't tell how much harder she was trying to convince herself rather than me. "No big deal or anything."

"...Bad memories?"

She stared at me, then sighed, slumping in her seat slightly. "...Yeah..."

"Always assholes, no matter where ya go..." I murmured in english as I chomped down another bite of my pancakes before something occurred to me. "Wait... do you dye your EYEBROWS?"

"I take my hair care very seriously, Roy." Hamuko said with the most intense expression I've ever seen her use outside of Tartarus. "It's even waterproof dye."

"Well, that'd explain why it didn't come out at Yakushima..." Pharos commented.

I just kind of stared at Hamuko for a moment. "...Goddamn, if you're this serious about day to day stuff I shudder to imagine you getting ready to cosplay for an anime convention..."

"IT IS SERIOUS BUSINESS, ROY!" she exclaimed, standing up suddenly and knocking over her chair. "VERY SERIOUS!"

"Okay okay, just calm down!" I said. "You're scaring the children!"

"Akihiko-senpai and Ken-kun left the dorm hours ago!"

I had to bite back laughter while Pharos was currently dieing on the floor. "Alright, fine, but seriously though. Why dye your hair at all? I mean between Akihiko-san being nearly albino, Fuuka having TEAL hair, and the mane on my head being visible from orbit, I don't get how you having the kind of hair that'd make Yukari jealous is a big deal..."

Hamuko, however, looked like the wind really got yanked out of her sails now. She fixed her chair and sat down, not looking at me.

"...Well, I..." she began. "It's just... I guess you could say the kids at my old school got a kick out of thinking I was trying to get attention..."

Eyebrow go. "What, they thought you were dying your hair?"

She nodded. "Yeah... nobody believed otherwise, cuz my bro has the same color hair as our mom."

"And you took after your dad?"

"No, his mom actually." She replied with a glimmer of pride in her eyes. "My dad took after his dad so they both have platinum blonde hair."

-I think I see where this is going.- "And they thought your dad's hair was because he was old."

Another nod from Hamuko. "Yeah... the only way I got it to stop was to dye my hair. It was weird... the moment my hair didn't stand out, it was like I wasn't there at all. Nobody teased me, nobody said anything..." She curled up on her seat, her arms wrapped around her legs. "...It was so strange."

"Yikes..." Pharos commented, now sitting on the floor instead of rolling around laughing. "That's... disturbing."

-And I can't say I know how to help.- I noted. -Nobody cared much about my hair; hell, half my friends Stateside still think I'm part Irish...-

"It's stupid, isn't it?"

I gave Hamuko an odd look. "What's stupid?"

"This." She said, pointing at her hair. "Letting what people said about my looks get to me. It's stupid, I know."

"What makes you say that, Hamuko?" I asked. "It's not like you can control how other people act."

She fidgeted in her chair, still not looking at me. "I know, but... I say things like I have no shame and yet I hated people saying things about how I looked..."

-...Ah.- "Feeling hypocritical?"

"...Yeah." She admitted. "To make it worse, I don't know if I want to keep dying it or wash the dye out so it's natural again... people can bastards if you stick out."

I scoffed. "I stick out most of anyone in the entirety of Iwatodai AND Port Island and yet the only jerks to talk shit about it were those idiot thugs from back in June."

"Really?" Hamuko asked, sounding very surprised.

"Yeah." I said. "So y'know what I think? Let your hair grow back out and just walk around with an air of 'bitch I'm fabulous' about you. Screw the haters."

She giggled again, a happy smile on her face. "You think it'd work?"

"If you can waltz around Tartarus in that crazy swimsuit armor you found that one time, I think you can handle a few snide remarks from assholes about your hair." I stated. "Besides, if it grows out from brunette to pinkette, they can't call bullshit on that being your natural hair color."

Hamuko's ruby red eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh you're totally right..."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed with a grin. "Debunk their stupid with logic and SCIENCE!"

"That doesn't even make sense BUT YES!" She proclaimed. "LOGIC AND SCIENCE!"

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fortune Arcana..._

-Shiny.- "Well, glad to see you like the idea. But weren't you going on about war god avatars and curving lasers?"

"Oh yeah!" she sat up in her seat and reached toward her computer, then a... concerning glimmer came to her eye. "...Hey Roy..."

-...I feel like I will regret this.- "...Yeah?"

* * *

><p>"No no no no nO NONONO- FUCK! Goddamn fucking bullets and lasers and UFO bullshit!"<p>

"The music is good though, isn't it?"

"Yeah holy shit, how have I not played a Touhou game sooner..."

"You should see Junpei-kun play. He's almost beaten a few of the games on Lunatic."

"GOOD GOD, HOW?!"

"Swag, Roy. Swag."

"...How long have you been there?"

"About since your first encounter with the curving death beams."

"...Goddamn it Junpei." -PHAROS STOP LAUGHING YOU LITTLE SHIT!-

* * *

><p>A few hours, a lot of swearing, and magic youkai bullet hell later, and most of SEES was back at the dorm. Surprisingly Yukari had taken Aigis out for most of the day, though Aigis' expression when they got back gave me the impression it wasn't fun for her but that's a story for another day I figure.<p>

"Man..." griped Junpei, setting his issue of Shonen Jump down on his lap as he leaned back on the couch. "School starts back up again tomorrow... we're gonna hafta juggle Tartarus and studying again..."

"And there's less than a week to the next full moon." I noted, practicing on one of the other Touhou games cuz Hamuko was cool enough to get me a few of 'em. This one's... I think called Perfect Cherry Blossom. "So we got a super sized ugly bugger coming up."

Ken sighed loudly from his spot on the couch next to Mitsuru, Koromaru stretched out on their laps while Ken petted him. "I sure picked a fun time to join..."

I paused my game and looked at Ken, then at Junpei. "The sarcasm is strong with this one."

"Indeed." Junpei said with a sagely tone. "Very strong."

Hamuko and Fuuka giggled, while Yukari just rolled her eyes a little in that 'Oh you guys' sort of way. Even Mitsuru cracked a tiny smile at that. Shinjiro and Aki were likewise at least passingly amused.

"I just thought of something..." Fuuka said suddenly. "Didn't Ekoda-sensei get fired before break?"

"Oh yeah, he did..." commented Yukari while me and Hamuko shared a look. "Something about him getting on the principal's bad side for making accusations about students..."

"We did it." Hamuko and I proclaimed at the exact same time, raising out hands. "Regret nothing."

Mitsuru scratched Koromaru behind the ears as the largest grin I've ever seen from her came across her face. "Yes, Ekoda has been let go. Class 2-E will be getting a new homeroom teacher, and there will be a new classic literature teacher at Gekkoukan."

Eyebrow, go. "Well well, are they civil at least?"

"Quite so. I had the chance to meet her in person about a week ago." Mitsuru stated. "She seemed excited to get to teach at our school."

"What's her name?" Akihiko asked.

"Asami Fredrickson."

Shinjiro startled everyone by violently coughing after nearly having a spit take. "WHAT?"

Everyone just kind of looked at Shinjiro with a worried expression. Even Aigis and Koromaru. Actually, ESPECIALLY Aigis and Koromaru.

"You know her?" Junpei asked, shifting slightly in his seat so he was a little farther from where Shinjiro was standing.

To his credit, he tried his best to act casual after nearly choking on whatever the hell it is he's drinking. "...You could say that."

"I would assume he knows her quite well." said Mitsuru, that grin still plastered on her face. "She's his aunt after all."

The group 'WHAT.' that followed was far louder than I expected it to be considering there's only like ten of us here besides Shinjiro.

Speaking of him, he started rubbing his forehead while everyone else, besides Akihiko anyways, was staring at him.

"So your aunt is gonna be Fuuka-chan's homeroom teacher?" asked Hamuko.

"And her husband is taking over as head of campus security." added Mitsuru with an oh so very amused tone. "The previous head retired several days ago."

Shinjiro's expression darkened. "...Roland's here as well?"

Mitsuru merely nodded in reply, glancing down at Koromaru as he yawned. Shinjiro sighed again, but this time I noticed something. Mainly that the look in his eye was about as far from 'Oh god not these guys' as you could get. In fact, I'd swear if it wasn't for the fact he clearly wants to maintain his whole tough as nails schtick he'd probably be beside himself with glee right now.

"So we'll get to meet some of Shinjiro-senpai's family?" asked Fuuka.

"Sounds like it..." replied Akihiko, sounding happy about the prospect. "I haven't seen his aunt and uncle in years."

Shinjiro grunted, taking another swig of his drink. "Bet you anything they'll harp on you about how much of that protein shit you eat as much as I do, Aki..."

"I'm putting five hundred yen on Shinjiro-san being right." I said without missing a beat.

"Same." said Yukari, Hamuko, and Junpei all at once, each one producing a five hundred yen coin from their jackets.

Akihiko grumbled something under his breath before returning his attention to the sports magazine he was reading.

-Well Pharos, if nothing else it seems like there will be Shenanigans afoot at Gekkoukan outside the Dark Hour once again.- I commented as the conversation devolved into more casual talk, though it seemed Hamuko was trying to pump Shinjiro for info about his relatives. -Certainly gonna be interesting.-

"More like it's gonna be glorious." commented Pharos with absolute certainty. "Utterly glorious shenanigans."

Nodded a little, smirking as I continued dodging bullet hell on my game. -I like the way you think, lil' buddy.-

* * *

><p>Addendum 115/09: ...Was I really such a fool back then?

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Before anyone asks, yes, that addendum at the end IS in character and it IS from Roy. You'll see why when we get to that part of the story.

But yes, the Mysterious African Gentleman from Chapter 13 is back and it turns out he's the Spider God Anansi! Certainly makes you wonder why Roy's encounter with a certain gas station attendant woke up that particular Persona though, doesn't it? Mwehehehe... But on another note, SHINJIRO'S AUNT AND UNCLE! Yes, they're going to appear soon. It's a fun idea that spawned because of a joke during a Skype chat with Lady Starwing because to any SMT Veterans who may be reading this... wasn't there a certain alcoholic writer in Digital Devil Saga with the same name as Shinjiro's Uncle? Let that thought sink in.

And if anyone can see the cameo references to either my Tumblr account's shenanigans and/or Avatar the Last Airbender(the name of Shinjiro's Aunt is not an intentional reference to Legend of Korra as I haven't watched that) you win a cookie, though the Avatar joke can be blamed on the Nostalga Critic reviewing The Last Airbender movie. I fucking love that review... ANYWAYS, I also have a minor announcement to make:

**Norimoto Style is gonna get hit _HARD_ with a retcon hammer.** As in, I'm going to delete the current chapters and re-upload new versions of them all because I've done some major changes to both how Reshuffled ends and Norimoto Style begins, so when I get through with Reshuffled, NS is going to get revised as well. The plot of NS is getting thrown for a loop because of the new ideas I have for it, and I do hope you all enjoy what I have in store for it! All that happening is a long ways off currently because I have to finish Reshuffled first, but still! Don't say I didn't warn you.

Now to close out these Author Notes, I have a question for all you readers of my silly story: Are you ready to Switch It Up next chapter? Mwhehehehe...


	17. Switch It Up: Lovers

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Yeah Way** - Honestly writing character interactions is probably my favorite part of this whole thing. Especially with the way Roy acts, it sure throws off the status quo with a lot of things!

**Kirie Mitsuru** - Well, 'weekly' might be a bit of a stretch but if I can get back into the swing of things I could pull it off! And the pink hair with Hamuko was partly based off an idea my friend Lady Starwing was using for her story with its version of Hamuko, with the pink hair being based off early concept art for P3P where the Female Protagonist did indeed have Pink Hair. I just opted to use it in a different way and no, Hamuko will not go crazy stalker on Shinjiro. She's too nice for that sort of thing.

**Jenny Saba** - Hehe, I'm glad you like it dearest. And I've mentioned my plans for Norimoto Style a few times, actually! I'll hafta talk about it again sometime soon.

**Guest** - If by 'Naoki' you mean Hito-Shura the Demi-Fiend, he's already had an appearance! As has Izanami. Izanagi, though, won't be appearing. If he ever does, it'd be in Norimoto Style anyways! He's got no business in Iwatodai, what with the whole cavalcade of Greek mythology running around there. Not that it's stopping the likes of Anansi from popping up, but whatever!

**Phantom High** - I've never played Devil Survivor or its sequel, thus I cannot include any characters from it into the story directly. A once-off mention I can manage, but full cameos are a big ol' nope. And yes, Lady Starwing and I are pretty good friends. She's awesome and so are her ideas. And yes, Junpei & Chidori will be a couple in this story. Roy just has to play matchmaker a bit for the two of 'em. Probably with Hamuko's help.

**Overlord Duelist** - If you do man, you will have lived as few men dared to dream and I salute you. You will not be forgotten!

**bamafelix** - Yeah, that's another thing I've been going for with the whole story. He was way to generically angry all the time in the original. Here, though? SUPER HAPPY WACKY FUN TIMES and I freaking LOVE writing it that way.

A special thanks to my friend **Lady Starwing** for helping me get this chapter done before more than an entire month passed! And I'd appreciate if anyone interested poked around the TV Tropes page to update it a bit, seeing as it hasn't gotten changed since... I think about chapter 13 or so. ALSO YOU SHOULD READ MY FRIEND'S STORIES AND SEE HER ART DO IT! But for now, on with the chapter!

* * *

><p>So as I mentioned before, I was hoping you'd make an attempt at writing down stuff that happens around town in this text file. Doesn't hafta be much, but some would be appreciated! Last entry left off the night before school started back up if that helps ya at all. -Roy<p>

...Yes that's a big help. Thanks. -Yukari

* * *

><p>I got woken up by the sound of someone pounding on my door. Staggering out of bed, I walked over and opened it, rubbing one eye as I glared a hole through Roy's head.<p>

"What's with trying to break my door down...?" I asked, trying to sound as unamused as possible.

"You DO know we're starting school again today, right?" he countered, raising an eyebrow. "Summer's over, Yukari."

My eyes snapped open. "What."

"You forgot to turn your alarm on apparently, and everyone else is already gone. We've got..." Roy checked his watch. "...Half an hour to catch the monorail if we don't wanna be late."

I have no idea if he said anything else, I didn't hear him over my panicked shriek and subsequent slam of my door.

* * *

><p>I'm still pretty sure I set a personal record for getting ready for school that morning, and I'm not even sure how I managed to do it. I think Roy's casual disregard for the laws of physics and thermodynamics is rubbing off on the rest of us. It's clearly the most logical explanation.<p>

I raced down the stairs, coming to a quick stop when Roy handed me a bento and a piece of toast before tapping on his watch. I simply nodded and bolted out the door after him, toast clenched between my teeth.

-I guess we're late for anime school.- I thought. -Oh well... this bento better be good, too.-

We didn't say much as we ran to the station, scarfing down the quick breakfast along the way. Thankfully we seemed to make it in time, darting onto the train and sitting down in a couple free seats.

"Jeez... I feel like Junpei..." I sighed. "I stayed up way too late reading AND forgot to set my alarm..."

"I forgot to set mine, too..." said Roy. "I only got up in time because Aigis wanted to know where Koromaru's leash was."

I looked at him oddly. "What for?"

"He needed to go for a walk." he replied. "And since Aigis was the only one there who didn't have to go to school today..."

"Oh yeah... Think she'll be okay walking around town with Koromaru?"

Roy scoffed. "Of course she'll be fine. Koro's a damn smart dog and we both know it."

"True..." I admitted, our conversation apparently coming to an end right there.

It was odd... getting to sit this close to Roy. I can't really explain it, but... it was nice. Just getting to be near him like this.

"Hey, Roy?"

"Yeah Yukari?"

I smiled. "Thanks for waking me up."

"You're welcome." He said with a laugh. "It'd suck to just ditch you at the dorm, having to scramble to get to school while I made it on time. I'm not a jerk like that."

I giggled. "Heh, you really can't be normal in a normal way."

"Nope." Roy agreed, grinning as the train started slowing down. "Not possible."

* * *

><p>I was really kinda relieved Archery Club wasn't going to be meeting in the mornings for the first week back, or else I would've been late enough to make Junpei look like a model student. The day wasn't anything special until it was time to meet the new Classic Literature teacher.<p>

"What do you think she's going to be like, Yukari-chan?" asked Hamuko quietly as we waited for the teacher to show up.

I shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe like Aragaki-senpai?"

I think her mind went to a similar place to where mine was when I said that, because she started giggling. She stopped when the door opened and the teacher started walking in.

"Hello class." said an elegant voice that was far and away from what I was expecting. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Asami Fredrickson."

She was tall, moreso than Mitsuru-senpai is, with a piercing gaze that seemed at odds with the color of her eyes and hair. She wore simple gray business attire but again, my attention was drawn to her hair.

-...I want hair that color.- I thought as I stared at our pinkette teacher.

"Hmm? Yes, you there in the back. Did you have a question?" she said, looking in the direction of Junpei's seat.

"Um, yes." -Oh I know that voice, that's Kenji Tomochika.- "Why is your last name Fredrickson?"

Sensei kind of seemed to glare at Kenji. "...Because I'm married to the new head of campus security here at Gekkoukan."

The sound of Kenji's poor, perverted heart shattering like a glass plate thrown off the roof of Tartarus against the ground had to have been the most amazing sound I'd heard in my life. His face when he found out who she was related to at lunchtime courtesy of Junpei was equally entertaining. That pretty much made my day entirely, though I was disappointed to find out Archery club wasn't meeting after school. I didn't have anything to do, but thankfully Roy offered to hang out after he finished up something for Student Council.

"What'd you even have to do?" I asked him as we got off the train at Iwatodai Station, vaguely registering someone else bumping into me. "Council doesn't meet on Tuesdays..."

"I was helping the Treasurer with a thing." Roy said. "She misplaced a notice she needed to copy before the next meeting."

"Ever the Good Samaritan, huh?" I teased, elbowing him lightly as we walked across the street to the strip mall. "So what now? Want to grab some food or something?"

He scratched at his chin slightly. "Eh, I dunno... maybe hit the bookstore?"

"Wait, how much money do I..." I said, then panic set in once I reached for my wallet. "What the-? Where's my wallet?"

"What, you didn't put it in your book bag?"

I shook my head as I checked my other pockets. "No, I... wait... someone bumped into me back at the station. Wait here a sec, it might've fallen out..."

"Alright, but if you take too long I'm gonna come looking for ya whether you like it or not, y'hear?" Roy said as I started back towards the station.

"Yeah, yeah..." I grumbled. "Just wait here."

* * *

><p>I climbed back up the stairs, looking around to see if I'd just dropped it. I heard someone talking a little further up, so I went that way and, to my dismay, hit the jackpot.<p>

"Haha, damn this chick was loaded!" cackled some moronic thug as one of his friends dug through my wallet. "No wonder she got into Gekkou high."

"Psh everybody who goes there is goddamn rich." said a different thug, this one I recognized from the back alley in June. "Not bad looking, either..."

Not in the mood for their stupidity, I marched right up to them with the most unamused expression I could manage.

"Hey!" I snapped. "That's my wallet!"

The three thugs looked at me.

"How do you know?" asked the one I recognized. "Could just be my sister's. Didn't your dad teach you any manners?"

My eye twitched unconsciously. "I know it's mine because that's my student ID card in it! Now give it back along with my money!"

The guy scoffed, a sleazy grin on his face. "Or what? You gonna tell our mommies?"

-Take this serious. This isn't Tartarus.- I though, Roy's angry words from back in June ringing in my mind. "I'll do worse, so just hand it over and nobody has to get hurt."

"Hey boss..." came a voice from behind me, and I quickly became aware of the fact these guys had more friends than just the three infront of me. "This chick givin' you trouble?"

I froze, doing my best to not let how scared I was show through as the guy with my wallet laughed.

"Nah, no trouble..." he said, looking at me in that way all creeps do when they're undressing me with their eyes. "Tell ya what little lady, you come hang out with a real man and maybe I'll give you back this wallet of yours."

"I wouldn't be caught dead going on a date with you even if my life depended on it!" I snapped before I had the chance to stop myself.

"What'd you say, bitch?" roared the thug, him and his cronies surrounding me. "You better-"

"REDUCED TO ASH!"

Two guys suddenly fell past me on the right.

"GIVE ME YOUR CASH!"

Another two slammed into the ground to my left.

"BECAUSE I'M SPOILIN' FOR A FIGHT!"

A black and red blur shot past me and smashed into the guy with my wallet. It took me a moment to realize it was Roy, now pinning the guy to the wall with his shoulder.

"You done goofed, bub." Roy practically snarled. "You done goofed bad."

"Wha- Hey, get off him ya stupid gaijin-"

The last two punks standing got slapped across the face, one by the back of Roy's fist, the other by the other by the side of his foot, and joined their friends in a heap on the ground.

"Ngh... you! I remember- HRK!"

"So." Roy's voice was colder than the ice Mitsuru-senpai could summon as he pinned the last thug standing against the wall by the neck. "You gonna play nice now and give my friend back her things?"

A strangled noise was the best response he had as he shakily raised the hand holding my wallet towards me. I snatched it up quickly before Roy let the guy go.

"Don't let it happen again."Roy added with a cheery, if sinister, tone as he carefully turned me around and hurried me away from the group of thugs, down the stairs, and towards the dorm. He seemed to be adjusting something in his right sleeve for a the first few moments.

"Okay." he said suddenly, stopping me and grabbing me by the shoulders. "Go to the nearest sporting goods store and buy yourself some bike shorts."

I blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"Because if you're going to march headlong into a bunch of thugs, I'm going to make a point of teaching you to actually be capable of kicking their asses. Potentially literally." stated Roy, looking me in the eye. "And I doubt you wanna flash your underwear if you're going to insist on wearing that skirt. And no, this is not negotiable Yukari Takeba."

"But..."

"Not negotiable!" he repeated, using that one silly tone of voice he enjoys using sometimes. "And besides, archery isn't exactly practical self defense outside of that damn tower, y'know? Plus don't you WANT to have legs that could kill, both metaphorically and literally?"

-...Damn he's good at convincing people.- "...Alright, fine."

He smiled, letting go of me. "Great! Then I'll see you back at the dorm. We're hitting the tower tonight."

"Okay, okay..." I replied. "And... thanks for bailing me out, Roy..."

"Anytime, Yukari."

* * *

><p>Taking Roy's advice, I went to the store to get some clothes. Thankfully there wasn't too big of a selection, otherwise I'd have been there for hours knowing me. Once I got back to the dorm, though...<p>

"You there. Yukari Takeba." Roy said, pointing at me as I walked in. "I need you to explain me a thing."

"What thing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have been informed that a certain someone with machine gun hands will be attending Gekkoukan." he said. "Fuuka's apparently helping her try on a uniform. Please explain why, as I was also told you knew."

I laughed semi-nervously. "Oh, that... The chairman turned up at the dorm an hour after you went up to your room last night. He overheard me, Aigis, and Mitsuru-senpai talking when I made a joke about Aigis coming to school after she asked if she could, and apparently he thought it was a good idea. As of tomorrow, she'll be a junior..."

Roy clasped his hands infront of his face with his index and middle fingers the only ones extended and pressed against his lips with a gaze of deep contemplation in his eyes. "...I see."

"And he's down with that?" asked Junpei. "I know he's kind of an oddball, but seriously?"

I just shrugged. "I think he said something about studying her behavior for some reason, I didn't pay enough attention. You'd have to ask Fuuka or Mitsuru-senpai."

"Why does she even want to go to school?" asked Ken, who was sitting next to the couch petting Koromaru. "It's not like there's anything special about it..."

"Tartarus aside, anyways..." added Junpei.

"With the commencement of the second semester, I intend to synchronize my schedule with the other members."

We all turned around to see Aigis, now in a Gekkoukan Winter Uniform, walking over from the stairs with Fuuka.

"If I were to remain here on standby, it could delay our deployment." She continued. "Therefore, I request to accompany our squad leader."

"...I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this." commented Roy. "Because now... my life is officially an anime."

Aigis tilted her head to one side. "How has your life turned into an animated series of drawings?"

"I'll tell ya later, Aigis..." he replied, his hands finally dropping to his sides. "But you look nice in the uniform... though I'm wondering how we'll be able to get away with your hands, lack of feet, and built-in headband."

"But other than that, it looks very natural." said Ken. "It shouldn't raise too many problems if someone can come up with a good excuse... right...?"

Roy suddenly held a hand out towards Ken. "See, this guy knows what's up."

"The sky?" asked Aigis.

The only person in the room not able to contain their laughter was Junpei.

"I'll explain that phrase later, Aigis..." Roy said with a small chuckle. "But to anyone not already in the know, we're heading to the tower tonight. You said there was at least one guardian left before we got to the next blockade, right Fuuka?"

She nodded. "Yes, there should only be one left. I'll let the Senpai know once they get back."

"Where'd they go?" I asked.

"Oh, Mitsuru-senpai wanted to talk to Shinjiro-senpai's relatives, but wanted him and Akihiko-senpai to come along." replied Fuuka. "She wouldn't say why..."

"God I wish I could see what's going on over there right now." said Roy. "It's probably legendarily hilarious."

"How-"

"I'll explain later, Aigis!"

* * *

><p>Nothing much worth talking about happened until it was time to head to Tartarus, and once we were there half the time we were going up the floors Roy was giving me pointers on combat until we got to the Guardian's floor.<p>

"...Okay what am I looking at?" asked Roy, staring a strange collection of Shadows. "Because I feel like they're something that doesn't currently exist..."

The Shadows, five total, all looked kind of like people. They had a Shadow mask on their body somewhere, be it as a belt buckle or pin on their vest or dress in the case of one of them.

"And why do they look like some kind of band?" asked Shinjiro. "Like, an American Band at that..."

"But comprised of dudes who wouldn't look out of place in a video game." added Roy. "Or a Guns 'n Roses concert, either works."

One of the Shadows, looking sort of like some kind of singer with a Heirophant mask on its belt, started laughing. "ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?"

"Roy-san, what-"

"Later, Aigis! PERSONA!" **BANG**

One of Roy's personas threw out a huge blast of ice at the Shadows, who scattered. One of them, a shirtless angry guy carrying a skull head mace in each hand and Strength mask on his belt, shouted in rage and barreled straight towards Roy, white energy glowing in the eyes of the skulls on his weapons.

{Look out!} Fuuka warned. {It's using an Almighty skill!}

Akihiko-senpai darted towards the Berserker Shadow, intercepting it with a punch to the jaw as Shinjiro-san was clashing with another shirtless Shadow. This one had a metal helmet and was using an axe-guitar as a weapon with an Emperor mask on its belt, and it seemed to actually be giving him trouble.

"Yukari-san, watch out!"

I jumped back just before a green explosion hit the ground where I was standing, a green ghost thing appearing from the blast and flying towards me. I felt myself moving slower before I managed to hit it with an arrow, causing it to vanish. I looked to my left and a shadow, hunched over and wearing a top hat with a Hermit mask on it, was carrying a shovel-guitar and summoning up an orange ghost next to him. A hail of bullets from Aigis got rid of the Shadow's ghost and drew its attention away.

A quick scan of the battle showed me that only one Shadow wasn't occupied with someone else; It looked like a woman, with a large extravagantly designed keyboard floating infront of her. A Priestess mask sat on the front of it and she seemed to be playing music of some sort. Since there wasn't much else I could do, I pressed my evoker to my head.

"Io!"** BANG**

My Persona appeared in a familiar swirl of blue mist and summoned a blast of wind to hit the Shadows. Several took notice, not just the Keyboardist, but they were quickly distracted again by the other SEES members. Roy had started attacking the Singer, but something started to seem off to me about them. I started to say something, only for the Keyboardist one to suddenly play a loud note that launched a shockwave across the room.

"What the hell?" Akihiko shouted, his body now moving against his will much like Aigis, Shinjiro, and Roy's were. "Why am I dancing?"

"I LIKE MY WEAPONS HOW I LIKE MY MUSIC!" Shouted the Guitarist, Pointing his hand at Shinjiro-san as the Shadows all started rushing everyone. "HEAVY, AND METAL!"

It let out a laugh as a large glowing helmet appeared above Shinjiro's head as he stopped dancing around.

"Ngh!" He grunted, trying to block the Guitarist's weapon. "What the... hell is this...?"

_{Shinjiro-senpai, be careful! It's draining your energy!}_

"Oh HELL NO!" Roy barked, charging towards the Shadow only to pass through a purple energy wall and stagger just before something exploded at his feet. "GAH!"

"Roy-san!"

The Summoner Shadow blocked Aigis from getting to Roy, having somehow duplicated itself along with having a trio of ghosts with it now. I did my best to heal everyone, and then I noticed what the Keyboardist was doing.

"It's the girl one!" I shouted as Io used another Dia spell on Shinjiro. "It's healing and powering up the others!"

Akihiko-senpai slugged the Berserker. "Somebody kill it or this is gonna take forever!"

"Easier said than done-!" Roy retorted as he hopped over an explosion. "Fucking hell, what's with these-"

The Berserker let out a scream of rage, suddenly getting about fifty percent bigger and its eyes burning bright red as it slammed Akihiko-senpai aside and rushed Shinjiro-san. The Guitarist surrounded itself with a field of swirling metal shards, and Shinjiro-san looked like he was in trouble... not that I could do much, with having to deal with the Keyboardist deciding to launch exploding music notes at me.

"Ngh!" I grunted, one of the notes causing me to nearly loose my balance when I noticed something glowing red around me. "What the-" I looked up and the singer Shadow had the same glow around himself, as did everyone else who wasn't a Shadow.

_{That shadow is charging up to attack everyone!}_ Fuuka screamed. _{Shinjiro-senpai might-!}_

"I CAN'T MISS!"

Suddenly, the Summoner Shadow hit the ground hard and something just... clicked inside my head.

"I won't miss either!" I shouted, aiming at the Keyboardist with an arrow notched faster than I've ever managed to before and fired. It seemed to hit with more force than normal, because the Shadow hit the ground hard as well.

What happened next, I'll never forget.

"MY TURN NOW!"

Akihiko shot forward at insane speed, dodging around the Berserker and slamming an electrified left hand into the Singer Shadow's face hard enough to cause a clap of thunder, knocking it to the ground and causing the red glow to stop. But it wasn't over, because now the glowing helmet disappeared from above Shinjiro-san, and he looked angry. He grabbed the Guitarist Shadow's axe, then smashed his own into the side of its head to send it reeling and lose grip on the guitar-axe, which Shinjiro was now wielding.

"GET OUTTA MY SIGHT!" He roared, spinning on his heels and slicing off the Berserker's head with the large axe.

_[An enemy has been slain!]_ exclaimed an unfamiliar voice that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

Shinjiro didn't waste time whirling around to slam the axe into the head of the currently on the ground Singer. It seemed to be a ghost now, but it was too stunned to do anything and just faded away after a few seconds.

_[Double Kill!]_

The Summoner was on its feet again, but its ghost copy of itself vanished as it got up... just as Shinjiro got over to it, both hands on the axe which was now being brought down, cleaving the summoner in half.

_[Triple Kill!]_

Dragging the axe along the ground, he rushed for the Keyboardist and swung upwards, slicing her apart at the waistline.

_[QUADRA KILL!]_

The Guitarist, having apparently gotten up durring all this, rushed towards Shinjiro... only for him to slam the axe into its head, taking its whole body down to the ground. It twitched for a moment before dissipating into nothingness.

_[**PENTA KILL!** Aced!]_

"Okay, where the FUCK is that voice coming from?" Bellowed both Roy and Shinjiro at the exact same time.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked as everyone hurried over to Shinjiro. "What just happened...?"

Shinjiro panted, still holding the guitar-axe. "I dunno, but I'm keeping this-"

His words died when the axe vanished, just like the Shadow did. He started at where it had been, then sighed.

"...Damn it." he grunted, and I swear he made a pouting face as he staggered over to get his own axe from where he dropped it.

"But no seriously, where did that announcer come from?" Roy asked. "Me 'n Shinjiro aren't the only ones who heard it, right?"

Aigis raised her hand. "I also heard it, but I could not identify the source."

"Same..." added Akihiko-senpai. "It sounded like something out of one of Junpei's games, though..."

"I was thinking the same thing." I commented as the five of us headed towards the teleporter.

Roy just threw his arms up over his head.

"I don't even know what to think with this goddamn tower anymore!" He exclaimed. "Let's just head back down, I'm gonna switch up the team a little."

* * *

><p>The rest of the trip to Tartarus was mostly just Roy teaching me moves while we hung around on the last few floors before the barricade, though Ken-kun was with us. Roy seemed really uneasy the whole time, but I could've just been imagining it. We didn't stick around long because the Dark Hour was almost over, and Roy said we probably wouldn't go back to the tower till after the Operation... though he said he's still going to be tutoring me in how to actually fight at the dorm. I didn't think much of it till the morning, but it wasn't exactly the best time to ask since we were almost in class plus it was time for the other students to meet Aigis.<p>

-Here's hoping it's not a disaster...- I thought as she stood in the front of the classroom next to Toriumi-sensei.

"Class, we have a new student who will be joining us." said Toriumi-sensei with a hint of pride in her voice. "Please be respectful and polite, as she just transferred to our school." She looked at Aigis. "Please introduce yourself."

Aigis bowed lightly. "My name is Aigis. I am please to meet you all."

"Aigis...? That's an interesting name..." commented Toriumi-sensei as she looked at the file for Aigis. "I wonder if she has foreign relatives... Let's see..." Her eyebrow arched and her eyes widened slightly. "...What on...? Oh, that has to be a mistake. Can't believe everything you read after all..." She closed the file and looked around the classroom. "You can sit... right over there, next to Fortune."

I heard Roy shift in his seat behind me as Aigis started over to the empty desk.

"Um, Toriumi-sensei, that spot's already taken." said Junpei. "I think he's just playin' hookey."

"No, he transferred out of the class apparently." sighed Toriumi-sensei. "Just like so many others do, and I don't even understand why... but regardless, the seat is free to be used."

"This spot will be perfect." commented Aigis. "I wish to be by his side because he's so charming."

Roy's head slammed down on his desk with such force I wasn't surprised when Fuuka asked if I heard 'that thud this morning' at lunch.

"So this is what it feels like to be the punchline of a brick joke..." I heard Roy grumble as a few students in class started snickering. "My life really is an anime now..."

"Alright, alright, enough with the dramatics." called out Toriumi-sensei. "It's time for me to take role."

* * *

><p>Apart from that, the school day avoided having any incidents happen... until Roy got a phone call as him, Aigis, and I were exiting the front of the building.<p>

"Who's...?" he muttered, then he saw the caller ID and answered his phone quickly. "Hello? Yeah, what's up Liz?"

"Liz?" asked Aigis, looking at me.

I shrugged. "Doesn't sound familiar to me."

"Wait, you want to go WHERE?" Roy practically shouted. "Seriously? ...Alright, alright, just be ready to go when I get there, alright? And I need to have a word with your boss now that I think about it! See you in about... I guess ten minutes? Bye."

He sighed as he shoved his phone back in his pocket, then he looked at the two of us.

"Hey, can you guys help me out with something?" asked Roy, a semi-pleading look in his eyes.

"Does it have to do with this 'Liz' person you were speaking to?" asked Aigis.

"Yeah, kinda..."

* * *

><p>"Why did we come here?" I asked as the three of us stood in a back alley of Paulownia Mall. "There's nothing here."<p>

"Okay, you know the magic blue door I talked about before? Well, there's another one right here." said Roy. "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm leaning on it so to you it should look like I'm leaning on nothing."

I walked over to him, a frown on my face. "That's..." my words died when I saw he was completely right. There was a solid two feet between him and the wall. "...What in the...?"

"Like we've said before, Yukari Takeba..." he began, standing up straight. "I cannot be weird in a normal way."

He knocked on air, or I guess the 'door' he was talking about, before there was a dull gleam and suddenly a woman dressed in blue appeared.

"Oh, hello." she said, looking at me and Aigis. "Are you associates of Master Roy's?"

Roy slapped his palm over his face while I felt my blood run hot at her title for him.

"Liz, can you NOT call me that outside the room?" he asked. "It leads to some awkward connotations..."

She gave him a curious look. "But I merely aid with your compendium as an assistant to Master Igor..."

"Yes, but I'm the only one who knows that... well, besides Aigis and Yukari here now."

"How did you appear from nothing?" asked Aigis. "Are you a ninja?"

I'll admit, I tried to not laugh at that. So did Roy.

"No, she's just..." Roy paused, as it searching for the right word. "...I suppose 'otherworldly' would be a good term."

"Oh my... thank you for the compliment." said the woman, a faint blush on her cheeks. "But I believe it would be for the best if we departed now."

"Where to?" I asked. "And who are you, anyways?"

The woman seemed slightly shocked. "Oh, my apologies! My name is Elizabeth. It is nice to meet you both."

"It is nice to meet you too, Elizabeth-san." replied Aigis with a bow.

"Yeah... likewise..." I said hesitantly. Something about this woman just... seemed strange to me.

"Alright kids, let's get this show on the road." exclaimed Roy. "Back to Gekkoukan we go!"

I looked at him. "Why?"

He pointed over his shoulder at Elizabeth. "Liz wanted to have a look around. Because of that, if figured it'd be best to show Aigis around at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone that way."

"Then why do you need my help?" I asked.

"Oh, you'll find out..."

* * *

><p>"Gekkoukan High School..." said Elizabeth as the four of us stood at the school gates. "A place of learning. It comes as quite a shock that such a warm, luminous place transforms into Tartarus each night..."<p>

"Speaking of which!" Roy said suddenly. "Keep that detail to yourself while we're here. In fact, if anyone asks about you, let me do the talking and just go along with it. We'll avoid trouble better that way."

"I see. Very well then, but... what should I do?" she asked. "Everyone here seems to be wearing a predetermined uniform..."

Roy waved it off. "Don't worry, I've already got a cover story. Just act like you don't stand out, okay?"

She giggled softly, sending a sort of chill down my spine. It was kind of unnerving, really...

"I hope I'm not troubling you with this, Mr. Fortune..."

I couldn't help but scoff. "You'd have to try harder than that to cause him trouble."

"Yes, Roy-san is quite adept at quick thinking." Aigis chimed in. "I have yet to witness an instance it has failed him outside of..." She hesitated, trying to think of a different way to mention Tartarus probably. "...at most two occasions durring club activities."

"Nice work around." commented Roy.

"Well, if our plan of action is decided, shall we enter the school now?" asked Elizabeth. "I am quite eager to see it for myself..."

"Right, we're doing that... onward, friends!" said Roy, taking a few steps forward with Aigis only a split second behind him. "There are things to see!"

"Onward!" Echoed both Aigis and Elizabeth. I just shook my head as I followed the three of them into the building.

* * *

><p>Roy kinda skipped over shoe lockers once we were inside, claiming he didn't understand it personally, and our little group wandered towards the School Store.<p>

"This... is a surprise." said Elizabeth. "To find a bastion of commerce inside a house of learning... could you please wait here a moment? There's-"

"Excuse me, may I have word?"

The four of us turned towards the voice, seeing a tall, clearly American man with short white hair staring at us from behind his glasses. He was wearing a security uniform.

"Who's your friend?" he asked, gesturing slightly towards Elizabeth. "She doesn't look like a student."

"Family friend, sir." Roy replied instantly. "Wanted to see Gekkoukan before trying to enroll her son here next year."

Elizabeth nodded. "Indeed. I've heard many a great thing about this place and simply had to see it for myself."

The guard hummed. "Hmm." He shifted his gaze between all of us before stepping a bit closer. "You three are with SEES, right?"

"That is correct, sir." answered Aigis.

"Huh. Well, that explains a few things..." he said, seeming to relax a bit. "I have to ask, though... have any of you seen my nephew around? He's actually managed to give me the slip for once."

"Depends. What's his name?"

"Shinjiro."

"Aragaki?"

The guard nodded. "That's the one."

"So then you must be the Roland he mentioned the other day..." commented Roy. "But no, haven't seen him since around lunch when Hamuko was pestering him."

He gave a heavy sigh. "I swear, sometimes..." shaking his head, Roland looked back at Elizabeth. "But for real, who is this?"

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Roland." replied Elizabeth, bowing slightly. "My name is Elizabeth."

"It's a SEES thing." said Roy. "Part of club stuff that just gets weirder and weirder the longer I exist."

Roland looked at Roy, then back at Elizabeth. "...She's not gonna...?"

"No, she asked to be shown around. No incident risk, she'd get in deep trouble with her boss probably."

He raised an eyebrow. "She has a boss?"

"Complicated story involving things I can't easily prove." said Roy. "At least not with, y'know, non club members around."

Roland's eyes narrowed slightly. "So then you'll take responsibility if she pulls any stunts?"

"Of course. Ground rules and guidelines have been laid... and if you're looking for Shinjiro, try checking near the gym." Roy suggested. "He might be fiercely judging Akihiko's life choices again."

That got a laugh out of the guard. "Sounds like something he'd do. Well, if you've got this under control, I'll let you lot go. Just remember there's gonna be hell if I hear about something you did."

Aigis quickly snapped into a crisp salute. "Understood."

"Alright then." Roland said with a nod before walking off.

I finally found my voice. "...So that was Shinjiro-senpai's Uncle?"

"Apparently." answered Roy. "Not what I was expecting, but then again that's happened a lot these past five or so months."

"Was that man a relative of an associate of yours?" asked Elizabeth. "And he wore such unusual clothes..."

"Yeah, and he's the chief of security for the school according to his wife." Roy said. "But that's probably a story for another day, so let's move on, shall we?"

"Oh, but... I wished to purchase a 'school lunch' so that I might sample one in its natural environment..."

Aigis blinked. "There is no such item for sale here..."

I've never seen a grown woman look so crestfallen about not being able to purchase a lunch for school kids.

* * *

><p>I was thankful Aigis was more diligent about sticking with us than Elizabeth was for the rest of the... well, I guess 'tour' would be a good word for it. She asked a random question to a bunch of students in our Homeroom, poked around the art room for a little while, and played a surprisingly beautiful melody on a piano in the music room. Aigis and Roy didn't seem to mind her antics, but... I don't know how to explain it, but the way Elizabeth talked to Roy... it bothered me a lot. I'm not even sure why. Eventually we found ourselves on the track field, where Elizabeth and Aigis had decided to run laps because apparently Elizabeth is curious about Aigis' abilities as a 'synthetically created humanoid'. Roy and I just sat near one end of the track while those two sprinted around everywhere.<p>

"She has a lot of energy..." I noted as the two of them passed us on their... I think fourth lap. "What exactly does she do?"

"You know that Persona switchy thing I can do?" asked Roy. "She's basically a record keeper for ones I've had before, in case I need to pull out a new copy for whatever reason."

I looked at Roy. "Really?"

"Yeah, but it costs a lotta yen." he replied. "I don't even know what she and her boss do with the fucking money, either. It's probably sorta like donating to a shrine, except more supernaturally crazy."

"SHINJI-NII-SAN~!"

Roy and I turned towards the path back to the main parts of the school, where Shinjiro was currently being hugged by a little girl with pink hair. Asami-sensei was there as well, and surprisingly they were within earshot despite not having apparently noticed us.

"I told you she missed you." said Asami, a smile of smug satisfaction on her face.

"I didn't doubt you." replied Shinjiro, picking up the little girl delicately.

"You're really big now, Shinji-nii-san!" she exclaimed excitedly, her arms on his shoulders now as she looked around. "I can see everywhere!"

Shinjiro actually chuckled at her observation. "Enjoying the view, Kaede?"

"Mmhm!"

"Glad to see your attendance record didn't mean you've changed as much as I feared."

Shinjiro shot Asami a glare. "Leave that alone."

"You've only made spotty appearances at this school for the past year and a half, Shinjiro." she said pointedly. "If Mitsuru wasn't insistent on faking passing grades for you, then you'd likely have gotten hell from your grandfather by now."

"Don't drag Daichi into this."

"Great Grandpa Daichi's so cool, though!" pouted Kaede. "Super cool!"

Shinjiro actually laughed. "I know, I know. He just doesn't need to be part of the conversation is all."

"Oh, okay!" chirped Kaede before she returned to using Shinjiro's height as a means to get a better look around.

"What exactly happened back then?" Asami pressed, crossing her arms. "Not even Akihiko will tell me, and Ikutsuki is about as helpful as a sack of bricks because he knows almost nothing about it!"

"And his jokes are lame, too!" added Kaede, now having squirmed her way to a seat on Shinjiro's shoulders.

That got a laugh from both of them.

"It's sad when my eight year old daughter has a better sense of humor than a grown man." chuckled Asami, who seemed to double take when she looked at Shinjiro's face. "...What happened to your eyes?"

"It's nothing to worry about." he replied instantly. "Not anymore, anyways."

"But... that's...!"

His gaze intensified. "It's getting better. I haven't touched them in months."

"...How long before then?"

He sighed. "...Almost a year."

Asami sighed as well, though she sounded far more relieved. "Oh thank god... I was going to have to get Roland to smack you upside the head if it was any longer."

"I told you not to worry about it." Shinjiro insisted. "I know what I'm doing."

"No, you don't." she countered. "Otherwise you wouldn't have been taking those in the first place."

"I didn't have any other option."

Asami's glare now matched Shinjiro's. "Yes, you did. You're just as stubborn as everyone else in the family so you didn't ask for help."

"Are you guys talking about Spooky Time?"

Shinjiro turned his head slightly to look at Kaede. "Spooky Time?"

"She's got some level of potential, Shinjiro."

His gaze snapped back to Asami. "What."

"She knows about the Dark Hour." stated Asami. "She also knows to come to our room if she wakes up."

"Momma and Papa will keep me safe from the baddies!" cooed the little girl. "They're super tough!"

A small smile actually crossed Shinjiro's lips.

"Yeah... I know." he said.

"Senpai~!"

And all at once, Shinjiro's face returned to as stoic as usual.

"What did you want this time?" he asked, looking at Hamuko as she approached him.

"I wanted to hang out." she huffed, her hair bouncing slightly as she crossed her arms. "Is that a problem?"

"You do realize Shinji's not exactly the most social guy, right Arisato?" asked Asami.

Hamuko just laughed. "I'm related to worse."

"She's pretty, Shinji-nii-san." commented Kaede, swaying her head back and forth a little. "Is she your friend?"

"Something like that..." answered Shinjiro, sounding less than thrilled.

"How'd you make your hair do that, Onee-chan?" asked the little girl, staring at Hamuko's hair.

I was honestly kinda surprise to see Hamuko fidget nervously. "I stopped trying to change the color so it's turning back to how it should be..."

"Why would you change the color?" Kaede asked. "It looks pretty like Momma's hair..."

"And yours." said Asami, brushing a stray strand out of the little girl's face, eliciting a giggle from her.

"Just like momma~!" she cooed before craning her neck to look at Shinjiro. "Shinji-nii-san, can we look around the school with your girlfriend?"

Both Hamuko and Shinjiro's faces turned a shade of red only rivaled by Roy's hair.

"I don't think they've got that kind of a relationship, sweetie." giggled Asami.

"Oh, sorry!" apologized the little girl. "Sorry sorry, Shinji-nii-san!"

"It's fine... c'mon, let's get started."

Shinjiro started walking off, but before Hamuko could follow Asami stopped her and whispered something. Hamuko's face turned a darker red, but she nodded before setting off after Shinjiro with Asami right behind her.

It took Roy a good five minutes to break the stunned silence we were in.

"I... was not expecting to see that." he said.

"Me either..." I agreed.

"I also did not expect it."

"Nor I."

The two of us whirled around to see Elizabeth and Aigis standing behind us.

"How long have you two been there?" asked Roy.

"Approximately from the time the child seated herself the young man's shoulders." reported Elizabeth.

Aigis nodded. "Affirmative."

Roy and I just stared at them.

"...Okay then." I said, then looked between Elizabeth and Roy. "So where to next?"

"Well..."

* * *

><p>Elizabeth seemed satisfied with her visit to Gekkoukan after that, and Roy took her back to that crazy 'door'... though she mentioned something about their 'threads of fate becoming stronger' and that she'd give him a reward some other time. The whole exchange just gave me a chill down my spine. Our walk back to the dorm wasn't anything special... in fact once we got there, Koromaru insisted on having Fuuka and Roy go for a walk with him after Roy asked me to write stuff down in this journal for him.<p>

I wonder how long I've been sitting here typing this... Must've been a while, because Ken wasn't down here earlier. I wonder what he's watching...

…

I think I've written enough at this point. Hope you don't mind the abrupt ending, Roy! -Yukari

Yukari Takeba, you are the biggest closet Featherman nerd this side of Ken Amada and nothing you say or do will convince me otherwise. -Roy

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Surprised by the peek into the mind of the Reshuffled Yukari Takeba? If she sounds more like Junpei, Roy, or Hamuko... well, blame the sequel to Persona 4 Arena where she's an actress playing the Pink Featherman Ranger. It has spawned a headcanon where she's actually THE BIGGEST NERD in SEES but hides it because of reasons. Naturally this will become a recurring thing in Reshuffled because it amuses me to absolutely no end.

And to any League of Legends fans reading this, yes, Shinjiro Aragaki fought and Pentakilled Team Pentakill. You can blame my friend SykoMonk for that idea. And no, i have no idea how the entirety of Team Pentakill was replicated by Shadows when the whole set of Skins wasn't even finished till like 2012, but then again Shadows defy most if not all forms of logic so WHO CARES~! SHENANIGANS, HO!

Anyways, one last detail; Asami and Roland, Shinjiro's aunt and uncle? They're Argilla and Roland from Digital Devil Saga. Yes, that game is canon to Reshuffled. No I am not going to tell you guys how... at least not right now. Mwehehehehe...


	18. Web of Intrigue

Pre-chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**A Jack Frost Guy** - The only place with less logic than the Persona universe, the Reshuffled Rendition of it especially, is the Grand Line in One Piece. Logic goes there to fucking DIE. As for the DDS stuff, well... let's just say that Argilla(Asami) and Roland aren't the only ones who will be vaguely relevant to sub plots and crazy schemes of mine in Reshuffled and Norimoto Style. Mwehehehehe...

**Astrih Konnash** - I got P4 Arena on launch day and I'm shit at fighting games. I mainly wanted to try getting the 'true ending' story path, but... well, none existed in the game and I traded in my copy to Game Stop a while ago so I can't play anymore.

**Phantom High** - No, Shadow versions of the Featherman Rangers won't be appearing. I have other ideas, one of which is actually alluded to in this chapter twice in the vaguest of ways that only make sense to me and a few select friends of mine, for unusual SEES opponents. You'll see them in the final Switch It Up chapter... Speaking of which, the next one is about... I'd say five or six chapters from now? Depends on how the timeline between September 6th(End of this chapter) and October 4th goes. Mwehehehe...

**Jenni Saba** - Yukari is a loveable dork. The biggest dork, in fact, in the dorm. AND NOBODY WILL CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE!

Once more I'd like to that the ever-awesome **Lady Starwing** for helping me get motivated to work on this chapter! She'll probably be to blame if I manage to crank out chapters quickly as opposed to month or longer gaps. And thanks to whichever reader updated the TV Tropes page! That made my day. Anywho, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>I stared at Elizabeth from my seat in the Velvet Room. Pharos was, as I found out later, making the same face I was.<p>

"...Fuzzy mittens?" I finally asked, staring at the 'reward' from having to escort Elizabeth around Gekkoukan. "Really?"

"They are a more effective weapon that you seem to believe, Master Roy." said Elizabeth. "I assure you, I would not offer them to you were they not."

I looked back up at Liz for a moment, then my gaze drifted back to the mittens on the table. Bright red, fuzzy, and the kind that only have an individual finger for the thumb. They looked about intimidating as a Pomeranian dunked in cherry Kool-Aid. But given that the clothing Elizabeth has given me thus far has been crazy magical and completely indestructible or at least close to it, they'll probably at least protect my hands. I don't know what to think of these things.

"...Alright, I guess I'll take your word for it..." I said, picking up the mittens. -Holy shit they're soft as hell-

"I do hope they serve you well, Master Roy." replied Elizabeth with a small bow as I started out of the room, semi-dragging Pharos with me.

"Thanks Liz!" I called out as I left the Velvet Room, tucking the mittens into my pocket. "Well, at least that's all of her requests taken care of for now..."

"I wonder what she does with some of the stuff you bring her..." commented Pharos. "I mean besides pawing the Shadow Remains off on her brother and him takin' 'em to your Uncle."

I just shrugged. "Beats me. Let's just get back to the dorm for now..."

* * *

><p>"Is that Featherman?"<p>

"...Maybe."

"This past week's episode?"

"...Maybe."

"Scoot over Ken, I'm not missing this one again."

* * *

><p>"Dang that was a heck of a cliffhanger..." I said, staring intensely at the screen. "You think Feather Owl's gonna make it outta that in one piece?"<p>

"I sure hope so!" replied Ken. "But... can I ask you something, Roy-san?"

I turned to face Ken. "Sure. What is it?"

"Why do you like Featherman?"

Eyebrow. "What, I can't appreciate a well written TV show with decent, if cheesy, special effects because it's aimed at kids?"

He shook his head. "No no, I'm not saying that. I mean why do you watch it?"

"Well... I guess it's cuz I admire them." I admitted. "Call it corny or whatever, but... I really like heroes in general. People who just don't give up when the cards are down and the bad guy's about to press the Big Red Button of Ultimate Doom or whatever."

"So you wanna be a hero, too?" asked Ken.

I shrugged. "I guess. Junpei's kinda the same way, but... well, in my case I just wanna help people. To hell with recognition or whatever, if I feel like I've done good in the end that's enough for me."

"I see..." said Ken, sounding slightly in awe.

"What about you?" I asked. "Why do you like Featherman?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering. "Well... because they always seem to know what's right, no matter what gets thrown at them. They can always tell who the bad guy is."

"And you admire them because of that? How they can identify the guilty party and kick 'em in the teeth if need be?"

Ken nodded sharply. "Yeah. I wanna be able to do that one day..."

"Well, it's good to have goals in life." I said. "Gives ya somethin' ta strive for."

"Yeah!" He agreed with a small smile. "And it's not like I have to go it alone, right?"

I grinned. "Exactly! Ya got pals like me to help ya along the way."

"Heh, thanks Roy-san."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt-_

-Shut up.- "No problem, but if you'll excuse me I got homework to do so I'll catch ya later."

"Alright!" said Ken as I walked way.

"You okay, Roy?" Pharos asked as I reached the stairs.

-Ken's lying about something, Pharos.- I thought. -Or if he's not, there's something else swirling around in that head of his.-

"Like what?"

-I wish I knew.-

* * *

><p>Not much else to say about that evening, and the next day was the last before the Full Moon. I stopped by Student Council again, since Hidetoshi had been wanting to talk to me about something after all the meeting stuff was over.<p>

"So what's on your mind, Hidetoshi?" I asked, leaning back a little in my chair. "Still looking into that smoker incident?"

He sighed, leaning against a wall; something I've honestly never seen him do. Hell, I've always seen him glare at people who do that.

"No, not anymore..." He finally replied, his eyes aimed towards the floor. "With Ekoda-sensei no longer at the school, there's no one to raise a fuss about an incident that happened once, and quite a while ago at this point."

"How much headway did you even make on that case anyways?"

Hidetoshi shrugged. "It was narrowed down to a male student second year class D, E, or F, but... well, your altercation with Ekoda happened before I could get any farther. He'd even insisted at one point that I put you on the list of suspects."

"Really?"

He nodded, finally looking at me. "He claimed you'd been seen wandering the streets at Midnight with other students from your dorm's club, and that your 'record' cast suspicion on you."

"To be fair, Akihiko-senpai is to blame for those Midnight jogs." I said. "Mitsuru-senpai can't get him to stop so she just goes along with it."

Hidetoshi arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really. He insists we get some amount of exercise in, but the only time we're all usually at the dorm is late." I said. "So now midnight jogs are a thing."

"I see..." Hidetoshi said warily, now sounding like he was at least partly weirded out by Akihiko's antics.

"Your work here is done, now you just need to return to your home planet." commented Pharos.

-My people need me, but alas I must stay.-

"But regardless, Ekoda-sensei had it out for everyone at your dorm short of Mitsuru-san." noted Hidetoshi. "You were just the most convenient target, seeing as you're a transfer student."

"And with him gone, the most vocal, and crazy, teacher isn't around to hound you about enforcing the rules..." I said. "Not that there's much you could do anymore. The trail's cold, and the guy who did it hasn't pulled a stunt again..."

He nodded. "Exactly. Not to mention, I was... overly aggressive in my investigation. Most of the student body is annoyed by me now."

"A little bit, but man, with Ekoda-sensei breathing down your neck I don't blame you." I told him. "Even the principal claimed that guy could piss off rocks."

Hidetoshi laughed lightly. "That doesn't surprise me... but I'll have a lot of work to do if I want to regain the trust of the school."

"But if you're as diligent about that as you were about investigating the smoker, you'll pull it off in no time flat." I said. "You've got the makings of a good leader in my book."

He laughed again. "Honestly... now I think I finally understand why the President asked you to join Student Council. You don't just say empty words to try to put people down. You're genuinely honest with them."

-I wouldn't put it that way, Hidetoshi.- "Well, she'd known me for barely a month at the time, but that's a pretty accurate description of me." I replied. "I'm kinda hopelessly optimistic about a lot of things."

"It's a trait I envy." he told me. "But, learning to see things that way gives me another goal to strive for."

**CRASH**

-Whoo, Emperor Arcana! Now go away spooky voices. Come back sometime in October, preferably.-

"Ah, but I've got another obligation to attend..." said Hidetoshi, looking at his watch. "I'll see you around, Roy-kun."

I stood up from my chair. "Alright, later Hidetoshi."

I met up with Junpei on my way out of the school, and we headed towards Port Island Station. Said he wanted to see if a friend was there, but I was surprised when I saw him heading straight for a certain red headed girl in a lolita dress.

"Yo, Chidori." he said, walking up to her casually. "How's your hand?"

She looked up at him, holding up her right hand.

"Huh? I don't see anything..." commented Junpei, sounding confused. "Not even a scar... did it heal that quickly?"

"I wasn't aware you two knew each other." I interjected, approaching the two of them.

Chidori just glanced at me, but Junpei turned and stared.

"You know Chidori?" he asked.

"Well, we've chatted a few times at least." I admitted.

"He brought me lunch." she added. "Teriyaki Chicken."

"Well, I offered because you were hungry and I'd like to think of myself as a good person. Plus I heard your stomach almost roar."

She shrugged before looking back at Junpei. "Hey, Junpei... what do you do to make yourself feel alive?"

-Hot damn, no honorifics when talking about each other? Shit Junpei, that's some swag.-

"Indeed." agreed Pharos, sounding legitimately impressed.

Junpei just chuckled. "I dunno, breathing I guess... I kinda never really thought about it before. What about you, Chidori? Is that why you draw?"

Chidori just shrugged again. "Maybe. Most of these are mere scribbles... I don't understand myself very well."

"Welcome to the club, we've got jackets." I commented.

Junpei elbowed me lightly, actually getting Chidori to giggle a bit.

"Hey, you mind if I sit here?" he asked her. She lightly shook her head and he quickly took a seat while I just kept standing off to the side with Pharos having opted to just sit cross legged in mid air, frowning at the back of Chidori's sketchbook.

"Y'know..." Junpei began, giving me a slightly worried look. "To tell the truth, there is one thing that makes me feel alive... When I get to be a hero."

Chidori stopped sketching and looked at him curiously, while Pharos and I exchanged a quick glance.

"In the darkest hour, unknown to all but a select few, the chosen ones stand against the forces of evil!" he continued, almost sounding like he was doing the voice over for a movie trailer. "Our hero, Junpei Iori, fights to protect the world from these terrifying monsters!"

Junpei stood up and chuckled lightly, looking back at Chidori. "Heheh... Well, you get the idea. That's when I feel most alive!"

Chidori just stared at him.

"Umm... you're s'posed to laugh..." said Junpei nervously, glancing at me again.

"...So, do you fight all alone?" she asked.

Now he was in a bit of a panic. "H-Hey, I was just kiddin' around..."

"You fight in a time that no one knows about, right?" she continued, a glimmer of intense interest in her eyes. "So then, no one knows what you've been doing, thus you'll never get any recognition for it... I'm impressed, Junpei. I didn't know you were that kind of guy."

"That's nothing." I said, finally joining the conversation. "You should see this guy when we're actually in combat. I shit you not, he's taken on three monsters alone and tore 'em apart!"

"Roy..." Pharos began, sounding worried.

-I am helping a bro out, okay? Shush.-

"Really?" Chidori asked, looking at Junpei. "So then he fights along side you?"

"Y-Yeah, totally!" replied Junpei, now just trying to roll with it.

"Tell me more..."

He looked at me and I gave a slight nod before he continued talking.

"Ya really wanna know? Ha, alright but ya gotta keep it between us." he said seriously. "Ya see, we got this special power called 'Persona'. If you don't have it, you can't fight the monsters at all, which is what I was talkin' about with the whole 'chosen ones' thing. Roy and my other friends are fighting as well, and ever since I came along, well... let's say they've been goin' pretty well."

I scoffed. "Dude, don't sell yourself short because ya feel like being modest." I walked over and put my arm around Junpei's shoulder. "Without our fearless leader here, we'd be in deep shit! He's got the tactical genius to go with his mad battle skills. I just punch things in the face till they're dead."

"Oh c'mon man, you saved my bacon more than once!" Junpei said, again trying to sound modest.

"Yeah, but you're still the MVP dude." I insisted. "We ain't got much goin' for us if you're not leading the charge!"

"My, it sounds like you're very strong..." said Chidori, closing her sketchbook.

Junpei just grinned. "Hell yeah I'm strong. I've even wrestled a monster bear!"

"Oh god do not remind me about the monster bears..." I groaned. "I hate the monster bears."

"That is because you think your 'family curse' just really fucking hates you, Roy." noted Pharos.

-IT DOES OR ELSE THERE WOULDN'T BE SHADOW BEARS IN TARTARUS!-

Chidori giggled and stood up.

"Thank you, Junpei and Roy." she said. "I had fun today."

"Y-You did?"

She nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yes, but it's time for me to go now. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Y-Yeah... Definitely!" he replied as she walked off. "Ha... ha holy crap..."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Temperance Arcana..._

"Y'know Junpei, remember how I said back before the monorail it's better to be the hero's best friend?"

He looked at me. "Yeah?"

"Call me crazy, but..." I began. "I think we found the exceptionally attractive girl who may or may not be swayed from evil by your rugged good looks."

"That why you went along with me telling her about the Dark Hour?" he asked.

"Partly." I admitted. "Also because if she believes you, she's probably Dark Hour sensitive. Maybe even has a Persona herself and has had to run from Shadows a few times. You probably just became her knight in shining armor, buddy."

Junpei's eyes practically lit up like a Christmas Tree. "You think so?"

"Definitely."

**CRASH**

-Friendship, ho!-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana..._

"And hey, thanks man." said Junpei as we started heading back to the dorm. "But can you get your arm off me now? My shoulder's falling asleep..."

* * *

><p>The dorm was mostly quiet when we got back, everyone all gathered up in the lounge trying to get homework done because we were gonna be spending the better part of tomorrow after school prepping for the Full Moon. Or at least, some of us were trying to get work done...<p>

"I'm telling you Shinji, it's not a big deal!"

"I'm telling you it is, Aki!" countered the beanie-clad senior. "Roland thinks if you got a cut on your arm you'd bleed protein powder at this point!"

Akihiko scoffed, crossing his arms. "I do not use that much."

Without missing a beat, Junpei started counting on his fingers. "Shakes, seasoning, bars, hell I saw you spiking your water bottle with the stuff one time!"

I've never seen Akihiko glare that intensely at someone before.

"I regret nothing." said Junpei, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. "Anyone want a snack while I'm up?"

A few people asked for something, but I didn't pay enough attention because I was scratching Koromaru behind the ears while reading a History textbook. That is, till Koro suddenly got up and looked really excited.

"What's up, Koro?" I asked. He responded with a happy bark, then he darted over to the door, his tall wagging rapidly.

I figured out why when there was a knock at the door to the beat of 'Shave and a haircut, two bits'.

"...They didn't..." commented Shinjiro as he got up and walked over to the door, which he started to slowly open but it suddenly burst open.

"SHINJI-NII-SAN~!"

Cue a familiar little girl in a kid-sized peacoat tackle glomping Shinjiro hard enough to nearly knock him over.

"Kaede?" He asked, then he looked up at the little girl's parents. "Asami? Roland? Why're...?"

"A formal introduction to your friends, obviously." said Asami, poking Shinjiro on the forehead as she walked in with Roland.

I glanced between the two adults, then over at Mitsuru. "Your idea?"

She just gave a knowing smirk as she accepted the drink Junpei'd brought her. Fruit punch by the looks of it. "Perhaps..."

"She's a devious woman, Roy." noted Pharos. "Best watch yourself."

-I know, I know...-

"PUPPY!" squealed Kaede, who promptly kneeled in front of Koromaru and started petting him. "Fluffy puppy~!"

Koromaru gave a happy bark again, his tail thumping against the floor as it wagged back and forth.

"...Isn't that...?" Roland began, then he knelt down next to the Shiba. "Well I'll be... it is Little Koro. You certainly got big since the last time I saw you..."

That drew some surprised looks from everyone.

"You know Koro-chan?" asked Fuuka.

Roland nodded, scratching the dog behind the ears a few times. "Yeah. His owner was an old friend of mine... I was worried about the little guy when I saw he wasn't at Naganaki Shrine. Glad to see he's doing alright..." he glanced at the Evoker Koromaru had on. "And he really has a Persona?"

"Affirmative." reported Aigis while Junpei and Fuuka exchanged confused looks. "He is able to summon Cerberus to combat Shadows."

His eyes shot up from Koromaru and locked themselves on Aigis. "Cerberus?"

Aigis simply nodded. "Yes. That is his Persona."

"I see..." he murmured.

"What brings you two here, though?" asked Akihiko. "Besides introductions, I mean..."

Asami snapped her fingers. "Right, almost forgot about that. Most of you already know who I am, but my husband here not so much."

"Roland Fredrickson." He said, adjusting his glasses slightly. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was related to Akihiko with that white hair of his. "Just don't cause trouble at school and you won't see a lot of me."

"What's with the box under your arm, Roland-sensei?" asked Hamuko, leaning over the arm of the couch slightly.

He smirked and stood up. "First, just Roland is fine. Second, this would be all of Aki's protein supplements that I found stashed in the boxing club's part of the gym."

"What?" Akihiko practically shouted, rising from his seat. "Why did-?"

"Because!" said Roland, adjusting his glasses again. "You've finally reached the point of overusing this stuff. We're also here for an intervention, Aki."

"Ooooh no, just give me that box!" snapped Akihiko, suddenly rushing Roland.

The 'fight' was over in about three moves that I barely registered because holy crap that's some skill. Roland now had a knee on Akihiko's spine, pinning the boxer's left arm behind his back while holding the box of protein above his head slightly.

"Nope, you're not getting this." chuckled Roland. "This is just the extra stuff. I left whatever you have left in your gym locker alone. We're not cutting you off, just trying to get you to cut down and actually use that head of yours for once."

Akihiko grumbled into the carpet, then turned his head to look at Roland. "Alright alright, just get off me..."

"No funny business." teased Asami as her husband let him stand up.

"You are talking about Aki, right?" asked Shinjiro.

"Yeah." I agreed. "No offense to the guy, but 'funny business' isn't his style when he's basically Captain Meathead McProteinboxer."

On one hand, I felt like a jerk for describing Akihiko like that. On the other hand, the uproarious laughter that followed from literally everyone who wasn't Akihiko, as even Mitsuru was at least giggling, made it hard for me to care.

At least until Shinjiro didn't stop.

"Um... Is he okay?" asked Me, Yukari, Hamuko, and Junpei at the exact same time as Shinjiro was curled up on the floor busting a gut.

"Wow, I haven't seen him get going that hard in years..." chuckled Asami.

"Shinji...?" asked Akihiko worriedly, having apparently forgotten it was my fault Shinjiro was now giving hyenas a run for their money.

"Will Shinjiro-senpai be like that for long?" asked Fuuka, looking at his aunt and uncle.

Roland shrugged. "The last time I saw him like this, he was at it for a good ten minutes solid."

"Well... at least we know he's not grumpy..." commented Hamuko as Shinjiro pounded his arm on the floor a couple times, his laughter not slowing down in the slightest.

* * *

><p>Shinjiro made us all swear ourselves to secrecy about what we'd just witnessed. He also made Akihiko swear to not punch my teeth in for the nickname so long as I didn't use it again for at least two months, if not longer. I might set an alarm for the day I get to use it again sometime. Not sure...<p>

Regardless of that, the fifth seemed to drag on a bit as I anticipated the Dark Hour. Junpei bolted right after class, while Kaz mentioned he wanted to talk to me on Monday after club. When I asked why we couldn't talk now, he said there was something else he had to do so he was gonna head home early. With nothing else going on, I simply headed back to the dorm with Aigis and Yukari. There was less prep going on than I expected, with Fuuka, Shinjiro, and Hamuko finishing up some more homework before we started getting down to the wire on the Dark Hour.

What worried me though was that Junpei never turned up, but once the Dark Hour hit and Fuuka started scanning for the Shadow, Ken headed downstairs again to go look for the crazy bugger.

"Tonight marks the sixth full moon..." Ikutsuki noted. "Do you detect a Shadow, Fuuka?"

_{Yes... it seems to be coming from Paulownia Mall, but... I'm having trouble narrowing it down from there.}_

"You think that's this Shadow's power?" asked Akihiko.

_{I don't know.}_

"We still have enough to go on as is." noted Shinjiro. "Just means we'll have to go there, then try and find the damn thing."

"I can't find him!"

We all turned around to see Ken rush into the room.

"Junpei-san isn't at the dorm." He reported. "His school bag isn't even his room, so he really never came to the dorm."

"Ugh, where is he then?" grumbled Yukari. "He knows tonight's the operation!"

I kinda scratched my head. "I know he was meeting a friend after school, but I know it shouldn't have taken this long."

"What friend?" asked Mitsuru and Hamuko at the same time.

"Red haired girl named Chidori. Wears lolita dresses and doodles in a sketchbook at Port Island Station." I replied. "She asked him to meet her there today after the three of us chatted a bit yesterday. But even if he did manage to land a date, Junpei still should've come back by now or at least called one of us to say something was up. Hell, he was the one reminding me about the Operation a lunch today!"

Save for Aigis, everyone sort of exchanged confused looks.

_{I don't sense him anywhere nearby...}_ noted Fuuka. _{Should I take more time to look for him?}_

"No, we can't afford to waste more time." Mitsuru stated. "We need you to concentrate on locating the Shadow."

"Idea!" I said. "Fuuka, if someone were to carry you, could you try and channel Lucia's scanning ability while we move out?"

Her Persona vanishing, the teal haired girl gave a serious nod. "Yes, I think so."

"Alright then. Aigis, can you help with that?"

"Affirmative." She replied.

"Lovely!" I proclaimed, tugging on the fuzzy mittens Elizabeth gave me. "Let's get going then."

Akihiko gave me a weird look. "Why are you...?"

"Supposedly they're good weapons." I replied. "I don't believe it myself, so if I was blatantly lied to and they really are just cruddy mittens, I brought my regular gloves as well."

Everyone, even Aigis and Koromaru, stared at me.

"Look, can we just get going?" I asked. "I do weird things! Deal with it!"

"Weird does not begin to cover the things you do, Roy-kun." commented Hamuko.

I span around and started towards the door. "Oh don't worry, I know."

* * *

><p>"Any luck, Fuuka-chan?" asked Hamuko once we finally made it to Port Island.<p>

_{...I think so, yes.}_ She replied, still intensely focused as Aigis carried her around. _{It's definitely at the mall, but... something's still strange. It's like... there's some kind of web...}_

"Web? Like a spiderweb?" I asked.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the old power cables underground." Aigis offered. "They were simply left there when the island was completed, running underground in many directions."

"And they're interfering with her ability?" questioned Akihiko.

_{No... the Shadow possessed the cables!} _exclaimed Fuuka. _{That's why it was hard to get a read on. Now that I know what to look for, though...}_

Mitsuru seemed to smile faintly. "You can narrow down where in the mall the Shadow is located?"

_{Yes... and... huh?}_

I heard Ken's pace pick up a little bit. "What's wrong now?"

_{The Shadow is... outside the mall? There's... something like a stage near the west entrance, and the reading is strongest there.}_

I looked over my shoulder at Yukari and Shinjiro, then back at Fuuka. "So what, this Shadow decided to set up a big display or some shit?"

"I don't know..." replied Fuuka as Aigis set her down. "We'll have to see once we get there..."

"Here's hoping it's not some kind of death metal concert." commented Hamuko. "With emphasis on the 'death' part."

Shinjiro groaned. "Ugh, don't say that. That stupid Shadow band in the tower was bad enough."

"That was five shadows, dude." I pointed out. "This is just one fairly big one and there's what, like ten of us? We got this."

"I wish I could share your confidence sometimes, Mr. Fuzzy Mittens..."

I glared over my shoulder at Yukari. "You're just jealous because your hands are cold."

* * *

><p>One minor squabble about how amazingly cozy these goddamn mittens are and the rest of the walk to Paulownia Mall later, and myself and SEES found ourselves staring at a giant stage set up for what looks like a reenactment of Doctor Frankenstein bringing his Monster to life, except covered in what looked like extension cords and spider webs. So y'know, basically something you'd expect on Halloween, not five days into fucking September.<p>

"What the hell is all this?" Shinjiro asked nobody in particular.

"It looks like a Halloween Concert stage..." noted Hamuko. "Wait... Fuuka-chan, is there someone on the stage?"

_{I think so...}_ Fuuka reported. _{I can sense the Hermit Arcana, but... I can't tell where it is on the stage.}_

I just punched my hands together. "Okay then! Let's renovate this sucker till we find the Shadow. It probably made the damn stage anyways!"

Koromaru started barking suddenly, and Yukari pointed at the stage.

"Look! On the left side of the stage, there's something moving!"

"**Good evening everyone~!"**

-...The fuck?-

"No idea..." commented Pharos from his seat on a planter next to where Fuuka had Lucia set up.

"**Welcome, to my humble concert~!"** exclaimed a high pitched, feminine voice that I'd swear was Hamuko if not for the fact that A. it had like a weird echo filter on it and B. Hamuko wasn't elbowing me right now. **"I hope you enjoy the show~!"**

What I presume was the Hermit shadow stepped onto the stage. Kinda short, brunette girl with two big pigtails and a disheveled Hermit mask sitting on her head. Was wearing a white top and red skirt, along with like shin length black socks.

"...Is that Risette?"

I looked at Yukari.

"What would an up and coming pop singer be doing in the Dark Hour?" I asked.

_{That's not her, that's a Shadow!}_

"I thought as much..." noted Mitsuru pointedly... -Wait, is she glaring at the back of Akihiko's head?-

"Focus, Roy."

-Right, sorry.-

"But yes, she was." said Pharos. "He was looking at that Shadow with a lot of interest. Might be a closet Risette fan."

-Would be the least surprising thing to learn about Akihiko, honestly.-

"I hope you're ready to play~!" exclaimed Not-Risette, the giant tesla coils on the stage now lighting up a bit with lightning.

"Oh, this is gonna suck..." I griped lightly.

Music started playing from nowhere. I wasn't paying much attention do the words on account of the fact once the music started playing, the stage started shooting lightning spells at us.

"Yukari, stay near Akihiko!" I shouted, thankful that Raga Naga nullified Zio abilities as I basically acted as a wall for Aigis to use as cover. In a related story, Aviator Shades do a wonder for not going blind when you're hit in the face by lightning bolts. "Aigis, you okay back there?"

"I am fine." She reported, ducking back behind me as another lightning bolt fizzled harmlessly against my torso. "Thank you for the assistance, Roy-san."

"No problem." I said, looking around the battlefield.

Yukari was behind Akihiko, basically pumping him full of healing as he tried his best to send out Polydeuces to attack the Shadow, who was dancing around singing along to whatever song this is as it avoided almost everything. Shinjiro kept throwing Castor at the stage, who hit it with all the grace of an enraged bus and smashed up pieces of stage when the shadow hopped out of the line of fire. Koromaru and Ken seemed to be having better luck , since they were attacking in tandem with either Hamuko or Mitsuru to give the Shadow less room to dodge.

Meanwhile, I'm still being a lightning-proof wall wearing sunglasses at night because I don't want to fuck up my eyes by blocking Ziongas with my face as Aigis fires her finger guns, which are a lot quieter than any other type of gun I've ever encountered, from over my shoulder.

"At least she's having the best luck hitting the Shadow." Pharos commented.

-She's firing bullets! The only thing faster is Zio skills, but this thing is immune to 'em! Akihiko found that out the hard way.-

"True."

"Any ideas, Roy?" shouted Hamuko, barely sidestepping a lightning bolt. "Besides standing there not giving a damn?"

I scratched my chin as another lightning bolt hit my face. "Well, just one but I'd have to get close and leave Aigis exposed. Unless Akihiko thinks he can manage trying to tank lightning bolts for two people while I do something that's probably really stupid!"

"I'll live, Roy!" called out Akihiko. "Just try and get it off that stage so we can get at it!"

"Alrighty then!" I replied. "Aigis, go join up with Akihiko and Yukari! SHINJIRO! FOLLOW ME!"

I didn't even care what Shinjiro's response was as I sprinted towards the stage, the Shadow's attacks not anything to worry about.

"YOUR MUSIC SUCKS!" I shouted, blocking one final lightning bolt before switching to a Persona with more punch and getting into a close range brawl with the Shadow. It ducked around most of my attacks, but I used a feint that Akihiko showed me to deck it in the face as hard as I possibly could.

The end result sent it hurtling into the back of the stage with a rather large crash, followed by Castor slamming into it as abruptly as the Kool-Aid man plows through a wall. And my hand wasn't in extreme pain like I was expecting it to be!

"Holy shit these are the best mittens ever." I said, staring at the smoke billowing from the crater in the stage as other SEES members had their Personas firing shit into it. "Fuckin' badass Fuzzy Mittens of Plus Seven Asskickery."

"What did you just call those?" shouted Pharos, sounding like he simply could not believe what I'd just said.

-Tell you later when I'm writing this shit down!-

"**GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

I didn't have much time to process the context behind that roar before suddenly there was just like a huge... I guess a 'shock explosion' would be a good way to describe it and I found myself hurtling off the stage and slamming into the ground a good ways away from everyone else.

"**Silly little insects..." **taunted the Shadow, staggering out of the smoke cloud on the stage and looking pretty worse for wear. **"You're not supposed to fight back..."**

The imitation Risette's body convulsed a couple of times, then suddenly two spider-like legs exploded out of the Shadow's hips. The Shadow itself started getting bigger, its lower body mutating violently to have a full set of spider legs, complete with spider abdomen. The Hermit mask now covered is face, though eight beady eyes could be seen clearly on the mask's surface. It let out another roar, revealing it's mutated its mouth into something between a real spider and something out of an alien horror movie. So in the span of about, oh... I think thirty seconds the Shadow went from a replica of a perky pop singer to a fucking giant spider-centaur version of said pop singer. I'm pretty sure both me and Ken are going to have nightmares for a while because that was really fucking creepy to see that transformation first hand.

"**Now just be good little flies..." **continued the Shadow, its voice even more distorted. **"AND HOLD STILL!"**

The Hermit shot forward, way faster than something that big with that many legs should be able to move, slamming Akihiko and Hamuko out of the way as it barreled towards Yukari.

"LOOK OUT!"

The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion from my perspective.

Yukari was trying to get out of the way, but the Shadow was simply too fast. However, a certain someone nearby was now glowing red and gold, speeding towards Yukari faster than the Shadow was. Aigis shoved the pink clad archer out of the way just in time, the Shadow now grappling her instead. A piercing scream rang out as the Hermit electrified Aigis at point blank range, cackling manically before suddenly repelling itself into the sky, revealing there was a large web of electrical cords spread out above the area between the tall lampposts and buildings. How the Shadow stayed up there without shit breaking I don't know.

Several voices were shouting, and some gunshots rang out but the web had some kind of... I guess electrical barrier to block incoming attacks. Thalia's knives couldn't get through, and Castor slamming into it just caused Shinjiro to shout in pain as a shitload of lightning coursed through the knightly persona. Ken tried, sending out Nemesis with its fully body buzzsaw to try and cut the web, but again it wasn't effective.

I reached for my evoker to try throwing Raga Naga up there to do something, but my hand grabbed air. I looked around frantically, trying to see where it'd landed... then I realized it must've fallen on the stage because I was about to summon Shade when the Shadow did that shock bomb thing. Someone shouted again and I looked up at the web. The Shadow was looming over Aigis on the web. She wasn't moving at all, and smoke was wafting off her body.

"**This one will do for now..." **it cackled, moving closer and picking Aigis up like it planned to eat her. **"The rest of you morsels can wait your turn!"**

"NO!" I shouted, and suddenly I felt... different. Like not different in the way I did when I decided to just straight Man Fight the Reaper that one time, this was something else. It felt like a fire was literally beginning to burn inside me, and what seemed to be blue flames danced at the edge of my vision. "AIGIS!"

I felt an explosion within my head almost like I'd just used an Evoker. I saw azure fire cross my field of vision before something shot past me from behind and I felt myself go with it. Not completely, but... it's hard to explain this. It wasn't like when I normally summoned a Persona, or when Pharos jumped into my head to bring out that one thing with the coffin cape. It felt like an honest extension of myself... and I could see through its eyes.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" I roared, but it sounded like it was in stereo as the Persona I summoned, that I recognized as Anansi, rebounded his way up onto the web and smashed two of his fists set ablaze into the Shadow's face. It shouted in pain and dropped Aigis, who fell through a gap in the web and plummeted towards the ground.

I moved like a man possessed, sprinting right towards where she was falling before leaping and catching her in mid-air, spinning around so I hit the ground first. It hurt a hell of a lot, but I didn't care as I stared down the Shadow atop the web.

"**Well well, what's this?"** the Shadow sneered. **"A little man thinks he can take me?"**

Anansi's stance shifted slightly, looking more like one of the ones I'd learned from Akihiko, just not lefty because I'm mainly right handed.

"**Oooh, the strong, silent type..."** giggled the Shadow, still apparently playing up the whole 'Risette' thing. **"I like it... but let's see how well you SCREAM, little man!"**

The Shadow lunged, Anansi sidestepped, and suddenly it had three fists in its face again. It staggered, but counter attacked with a few bolts of lightning. Most missed, two clipped Anansi, and one got him in the chest. It felt it like I'd been hit there myself, not just in the head like it normally did. His counter was to shoulder tackle the Shadow onto the web, pinning it with two arms while the other four latched onto one of the Hermit's.

"**Get off me!" **It shouted. **"Let go!"**

I swear I felt myself and Anansi smirk before the Shadow started screaming in pain. Why? Simple.

We just tore its fucking arm right out of its goddamn socket. Then smacked it in the head with said arm before backing away... and it occurred to me that I should probably try to patch myself up so I intended for Anansi to use Life Drain. He just fucking at the arm he tore off the Shadow instead. Like, his the mouth on his mask opened like it was his face and he scarfed down the arm. It was... kinda surreal, really.

-Close enough.- I thought. I didn't even know that was a thing Personas did, but then again, I've never had a Persona use the Life Drain ability before.

The Shadow howled in rage, clutching at the empty arm socket with its remaining hand.

"**Bastard... I'LL KILL YOU!" **It screamed, rushing Anansi again. I responded in kind with a lunge, six arms alight with crimson flames.

The end result had both Shadow and Persona break through the web, which vanished like Shadows do, and slam into the stage. Anansi started wailing on it a few times, but another blast of lightning knocked him away. Not that it did any good for the Shadow, because now there was Castor, Nemesis, Thalia, Cerberus, Penthesilea, Polydeuces, and Io bearing down on it with Fire, Ice, Wind, and straight up physical violence.

Suffice to say the Shadow didn't have a fun time with all of that aimed at its face.

_{I can't sense the Shadow anymore.}_ Fuuka reported after about half a minute of elemental violence aimed at where it'd landed. _{We did it!}_

I didn't pay attention to what anyone else might've said because I was trying to get Aigis to wake up.

"Aigis! Aigis, can you hear me?" I pleaded, shaking her a few times. Then like an idiot who just realized he forgot something, I remembered some of the healing items we've found in Tartarus I've got stashed in my jacket. I dug out a revival bead and slipped it into her mouth, wondering how effective it'd be on her. I got my answer when she started getting up.

"Nnngh... Roy-san?" she asked, looking at me. "What has happened?"

"That Shadow got ya pretty good..." I said, a wave of relief washing over me. "Are you alright?"

She nodded slightly, carefully standing up. "I appear to be within functional parameters..."

I sighed lightly, standing up with a slight grunt. Hitting the ground while holding Aigis kinda hurt like a motherfucker, but Anansi's passive regeneration and that Life Drain he did were helping a lot. "Guh... I need to be more careful, though..."

"What happened?" Aigis asked, suddenly a lot closer to me and inspecting me intensely. "Are you injured?"

"Just a scratch, I'm fine!" I insisted, then suddenly a hand clasped my shoulder.

"Roy." I heard Hamuko say seriously. "You jumped fifteen feet in the air and caught her, then proceeded to cushion the impact for her despite the fact she probably weighs more than twice what you do on account of being made of metal."

Aigis blinked in surprise. "You... caught me...?"

"The Shadow dragged you into a big web, Aigis-san." reported Ken. "Roy-san started shouting, then suddenly his Persona appeared. He didn't even use an evoker!"

"How did you do that, Fortune?" asked Mitsuru, walking beside everyone else.

I scratched my head. "Honestly? No clue. It wasn't even on purpose, it just... happened."

"Well, it can't be unique to him." noted Akihiko. "We've seen that once before..."

"Yeah, but I never managed to do it again." added Shinjiro. "And where the hell did your Evoker go?"

To answer that question, Koromaru appeared with an evoker in his mouth and bumped against my leg. I smiled, kneeling down and taking it back from the Shiba, patting him on the head.

"Thanks Koro." I said. "Shadow made me drop it when it did that shock blast thing before going all crazy spider mode on us."

_{I think I found Junpei!}_

Everyone's attention switched to Fuuka.

_{He's back at the dorm, but... something's strange.} she reported. {And even though the Chairman is there, I think we should hurry back...}_

"Sounds like a plan." I said, starting to move but Hamuko's grip on my shoulder intensified.

"Roy, you're hurt. Don't even try to-"

I looked over my shoulder at her. "Null Strike Persona. Didn't feel a thing, I just had the wind knocked outta me is all."

"Bullshit, you only have one that resists strike with you."

-Shut up Pharos, I don't want them to worry about me.-

Hamuko glared at me, but sighed. "Alright, fine... Yukari-chan should still heal you, though."

"Then she can do it while we're movin'." I said, putting my evoker back in its holster. "If Fuuka thinks we need ta hurry back, I'm inclined to do just that! I need to have some words with my best bud anyways."

* * *

><p>"You sure that'll be enough, Roy?" asked Yukari after the second healing spell she pumped into me on our slightly hurried way back to the dorm.<p>

"Yeah, pretty sure." I replied, rolling my shoulders a few times. "If you saw Anansi eat that Shadow's arm, that was me testing out his Life Drain ability. I wasn't expecting it to equate to 'consume the flesh of thine enemies'."

She just gave me an odd look. "Okay, if you're sure..."

"Thanks, though." I said with a small smile. She smiled back, then picked up her pace a bit to catch up with Hamuko and Fuuka.

"Roy-san?"

I turned to my left where Aigis was walking in step with me. She hadn't really moved from that position the whole time we've been walking.

"Yeah?"

"...Why did you do that?" She asked.

Eyebrow. "Do what?"

"You went out of your way to make certain I was not damaged." said Aigis. "While camaraderie is an understandable motivation, it was unnecessary. I would have sustained minor injuries from the impact; Anti-Shadow Suppression Units were designed to endure as much physical damage as was possible."

"Doesn't mean you have to, though."

Aigis tilted her head. "My purpose is to destroy Shadows. It is why I was created."

"Yes, but!" I countered. "You've said yourself that I'm your highest priority."

"That is-"

"-Not what you were originally created to do." I continued. "They made you to fight Shadows, but to do that you had to be given a will of your own. Even if you don't know why, you're choosing to put protecting me above everything else. I've said it before, Aigis; You're just as human as I am, even if your body is made of metal."

She seemed so shiver slightly as she stared at me. "But... that does not answer my original question. Why did you put yourself in harms way to protect me?"

"...I care about the people around me." I replied. "Everyone in SEES means a lot to me, and I want to make sure they're all safe. If that means I gotta put myself in harms way to do it, then I'll do it in a heartbeat."

"So... is this your way of showing affection for your comrades? By risking your life to ensure the safety of theirs?" she asked. "It ... feels counterproductive. You are the field leader; your survival should be top priority for all of us who follow your orders."

I frowned slightly. "Me wanting to protect my friends is just the kind of person I am. I'd do it even if I wasn't the field leader, and nothing anyone, not even Mitsuru, said or did would stop me. But as the field leader, it's even more important I keep all of you alive."

"I do not understand." Aigis said, looking surprisingly distraught. "You would risk your life to protect those close to you, even if they risk their own to protect you? What purpose does it serve?"

"Because that way we all try our hardest to get through the night alive, and we're all closer friends for the effort." I replied. "Or something like that, anyways."

"...I still do not fully comprehend, but there is indeed a method to your thought process." she stated, her expression now some kind of slightly grouchy looking confusion. "Perhaps after we speak with Junpei-san, the two of us can discuss it further?"

I chuckled. "Sounds like a plan, Aigis."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Aeon Arcana..._

-Nifty, but there's other things to worry about right now!-

* * *

><p>About three blocks from the dorm, I opted to pick up the pace and get to the roof quickly to see what was up with Junpei. Aigis and Hamuko came along as well, and the three of us bolted up the stairs to the roof once we got there.<p>

I threw open the door and, to my surprise, Chidori was there and Junpei was tied up.

"...The fuck is going on here?" I asked in English. "And why were we not invited?"

Chidori span around, making me very aware of the hatchet she was holding in one hand as she held the sharp part of it towards Junpei's face.

"Tch..." she grunted. "You're back sooner than I expected..."

"I got long legs." I replied, holding up an arm to get Aigis to stay back.

My arm remained that way even as Chidori slipped an Evoker out of the sleeve of her free hand and pressed it against her chin. Mainly because I'd noticed what Junpei was up to.

"Medea..." Chidori said, beginning to squeeze the trigger. "Come..."

Junpei picked that point to just break his bindings and tackle her to the ground. The hatchet and Evoker both slipped from her grip, sliding along the ground towards me.

"Chidori, stop!" he pleaded, but she was still trying to reach her gear.

"No!" She shrieked as I snatched up her evoker. "Give it back!"

"Why were you all- Huh?" Ikutsuki sputtered as he presumably got a look at what was going on. "When did she get here?"

I shrugged, still holding onto the Evoker. I looked at it closely. There wasn't a SEES engraving like on mine, but markings that said 'STREGA PROJECT' were on it.

"What's going on, Fortune?"

I looked over my shoulder. Mitsuru and the others had arrived, Pharos included.

"Found that friend I mentioned holding Junpei hostage." I said, pointing over my shoulder. "Seems he was, at the absolute least from what I can tell, stalling her till he could bust out of the ropes."

"...I see. Is that hers?"

I held up the evoker slightly. "This? Yeah. Kinda obvious what that means."

"She's a Persona User?" asked Yukari, looking at where Junpei was helping Chidori up while still holding onto her so she couldn't try anything.

"But I... didn't sense her up until this very moment..." stammered Fuuka, sounding pretty shaken up. "This is my only power and yet..."

"I didn't sense her Persona the three times I saw her before today, so it's not just you Fuuka." I noted, turning back towards Chidori. "She might have a disruption ability of some kind like a signal jammer."

Mitsuru nodded, then marched passed me to glare at Chidori. "Are you a member of the group that goes by the name Strega? I have a number of questions for you."

"...I'm not..." Chidori said, glaring right back at Mitsuru despite the obvious fear in her eyes. "Afraid... of dying..."

Junpei's grip slackened slightly, but thankfully Aigis was nearby to grab onto Chidori instead. "Ch-Chidori?"

The girl's eyes turned to me, or more specifically the evoker I was holding. "M-Medea... I'm..."

"Clearly, she's emotionally unstable." said Mitsuru. "We'll let her rest, and-"

"No fucking shit she's a little unstable!" I exclaimed. "She's outnumbered and surrounded and YOU look like you're intending to have someone disappeared Yakuza style!"

"You mean 'make someone disappear', Fortune." corrected Mitsuru.

I pointed at her with my free hand. "That just makes this more terrifying!"

"Regardless, once she's had some rest we'll question her." stated Mitsuru.

Junpei just looked really broken up as Aigis started escorting Chidori towards the door.

"I'll hold onto this for you." I said quietly as Chidori was walked by me, getting the red head's attention for a moment before she disappeared past my shoulder.

After that, I just tucked the Evoker into my jacket for a second and rubbed my head.

"You okay, Roy?" asked Pharos.

"Something wrong?" came a concerned tone from Akihiko.

"Shit's gonna start getting complicated now." I said, answering both questions. "I need some sleep like now so I can deal with it."

* * *

><p>I just kinda went back to my room and collapsed on my bed after that. It was a Sunday, but before I could really see about doing anything, Junpei walked up to me.<p>

"I need your help." He said with a serious face.

Eyebrow. "With what?"

"Do you know where Mitsuru-senpai had Chidori taken?"

I smirked. "You're in luck, I do and I was heading that way myself. Shall we be off, then?"

"Yeah."

Getting to the hospital with Junpei and Pharos in tow was easy. Finding the room Mitsuru checked Chidori into was also easy. What wasn't was, surprisingly, getting past Yukari of all people.

"Senpai said nobody was allowed in and asked me to wait here." She said seriously, crossing her arms. "Just let the senpai handle it, okay?"

I scoffed. "Yeah, no. Move please."

I tried to push past her, but she was surprisingly managing to keep me from doing so.

-Okay, plan B.- "Hey, is that a tear in your shirt?"

"Huh?" She lost focus, and was gently shoved aside so I could open the door. "Hey!"

Junpei went in first and I followed him, with Yukari walking in behind us.

"How goes the interrogation?" I asked, getting a slight glare from Mitsuru for my trouble.

"S-Sorry, Senpai..." apologized Yukari.

"How are you feeling, Chidori?" Junpei asked, ignoring everyone else. "Seems like you've calmed down a bit..."

"She certainly has." noted Mitsuru pointedly. "In fact, she won't say a word... Maybe we should confiscate her sketchbook-"

I instantly turned towards Mitsuru. "And make her even less cooperative? Great plan."

"Excuse me, Fortune?" she practically snarled as the air temperature dropped noticeably.

"You're doing it wrong, Senpai." I replied, switching to an Ice-immune persona just in case. "Just go with me on this."

I turned towards Chidori, who was still sketching away contently.

"So." I began with a much more polite tone that what Mitsuru was using. "How long?"

She glanced up at me for a moment.

"Medea." I said, tapping the side of my head. "How long?"

"...Four years."

I hummed. "I see. Where'd you get your Evoker?"

She started glaring at me.

"Prefer not to say since it doesn't matter at this point?" I asked.

"I want it back." she growled.

"Hey, I told you-"

I held up a hand to keep Akihiko from talking. Surprisingly, it worked.

"Can't do that, sadly." I said. "Least not until we sort a few things out, at least."

"What's there to sort out?" she scoffed. "I'm your prisoner."

"Mitsuru-senpai didn't make a good first impression, huh?"

She just rolled her eyes and went back to sketching.

"What're you drawing?"

"You wouldn't understand." Chidori replied. "Even if I could explain it."

I chuckled. "You sound like my Uncle when he gets intense about his art."

I heard Akihiko and Mitsuru muttering behind me, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

"...Why did you lie?"

That drew peoples attention, Junpei's in particular. Her gaze turned towards my best friend.

"Why did you lie to me?" she asked.

-Ho, we found somethin' important.-

"Huh?" Junpei stammered. "What're you-"

"You said you were the leader, but you couldn't do anything!" Chidori shouted. "Why did you lie? You never answered me!"

Now he was on the spot and backpedaling. "I-I..."

"Well, to be fair to Junpei, if I hadn't gone along with the story I get the feeling you'd have tried kidnapping me instead." I noted. "Which wouldn't have ended well, probably. Junpei's got more brute strength than all but one person in our dorm, but I'm the trickiest lunatic this side of Gekkoukan High."

"How so?"

I shrugged. "Hard to explain. Suffice to say most conventional logic doesn't apply to my abilities. What about you? Not every day someone with healing and detection jamming Persona abilities turns up. Pretty impressive, really. Even I can't do that stuff."

She arched an eyebrow at that, but shrugged a moment later. "I'm special, I suppose."

"Indeed." I agreed, then I turned back to Mitsuru. "That enough for now, Senpai?"

Mitsuru worked her jaw slightly, then nodded. "...Yes, I suppose. We'll come back another time."

"C'mon Junpei, let's go." I said, nudging his shoulder a bit. "We got some 'splainin' to do after all."

He just kept staring at Chidori, then sighed. "...Alright."

Junpei got up and everyone started filing out of the room.

"Roy."

I looked back at Chidori.

"I like the spider." she commented. "He fits you well."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Temperance Arcana..._

"Thanks." I said with a smile before I left the room.

* * *

><p>We barely got in the door back at the dorm before Mitsuru whirled around and had an 'I'm going to murder something' look on her face. Said look was aimed at me and Junpei.<p>

"What did you both do?" she asked pointedly.

"Okay, short version." I began before Junpei could say anything. "Junpei set himself up as the leader of SEES to her because he didn't know she had a persona back on Friday. He told it in one of those 'oh he's totally making this shit up' tones, but she believed him. Not one to let a bro flounder like that, I went along with his story under the logic she was a random person with Dark Hour sensitivity or even a Persona. It was my intention to bring it up after the operation was taken care of but... well, plans kinda changed when we found her on the dorm roof."

"So not only did you tell someone you barely knew about the Dark Hour..." said Mitsuru. "But you deliberately withheld-"

I crossed my arms. "Oh do not EVEN start with us not telling you anything when we didn't get the full story on the Dark Hour until around four months into us helping out."

"I cannot tell if you're brave or stupid." commented Shinjiro from his seat on the couch. "Probably both."

"Give me a good reason I shouldn't suspend you from active duty in Tartarus beyond your unique ability, Fortune." Mitsuru snarled.

"Okay, first? Stop glaring, you don't actually scare me." I said. "Second? How well do you actually interact with people?"

Her eyebrow arched slightly. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Well, if this is any indication, unless you know the person in question very well like Akihiko or Shinjiro, you can't really, y'know, guess what people will do." I pointed out. "Like right now. You're getting upset because I undermined your authority, but in doing so I made more progress in about five minutes than you did in several hours. And in the state you're in, anything that doesn't include me apologizing, which I won't because you were being rude to a friend even if she DID turn out to be working with the two other failures that seem to make up Strega, will do nothing but make my situation worse because the bottom line is I'm dead on the money with this, aren't I?"

The entire dorm was dead silent. Likely because I may or may not have just started poking a sleeping lioness with a pointy stick and am just fucking ASKING to have my arms torn off for it. I couldn't see Junpei or Yukari's expressions, but everyone else in the dorm who wasn't Mitsuru was staring at me like I'd just committed some unspeakable act that I was likely going to die for.

The worst part, though? I can't find it in me to care.

"Well?" I pressed. "Am I right?"

Mitsuru's lips were pressed together tightly and I could almost FEEL the frustration coming off of her in waves as she started at me with a mix of wide eyed shock and fury.

"Regardless." She said, noticeably trying to not just snap. "If you're so skilled at this, what do YOU propose we do about the girl?"

I scoffed. "Easy, have Junpei handle it."

"Huh? Why me?"

I looked over my shoulder at him. "You know her better than I do. Besides, she kept glancing at you while she was talking with me."

He blinked. "Really?"

"Really." I affirmed. "Spotting little details like that is a thing I've known how to do for a while. I'm just not always trying to because I'm not overly suspicious of people."

"Because everyone has a 'tell', correct?"

I looked back at Mitsuru. "Well well, it sounds like everyone's favorite female senpai has played poker more than once."

"Perhaps." She said simply, having apparently managed to just diffuse all that anger of hers somehow. "Iori. You'll be in charge of questioning our guest at the hospital. Understood?"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

"And Fortune?"

Eyebrow. "Yes, Senpai?"

"You're the first person since Aragaki who hasn't backed down when I decide to stand my ground as well." She said. "I'm impressed."

I simply shrugged. "Few things in life genuinely terrify me, truth be told. But again, I'm kind of strange in general."

"I suppose so..." said Mitsuru before she walked off, her heels still somehow clicking on the dorm carpet.

**CRASH**

-Whoa wait what?-

_I am thou... thou art I..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Empress Arcana..._

-Holy fucking shit, REALLY?-

"I'm not surprised she doesn't scare him." commented Shinjiro absently, turning the page in... is that a cooking magazine? "I bet there's dragons out there that wouldn't scare him."

I laughed nervously. "Oh, trust me... there's a dragon that scares me. He's not exactly real, but... well, still scary."

Shinjiro looked up at me from his magazine. "Really?"

"Long, complicated and ultimately boring story related to a friend of mine" I replied.

He hummed in surprise, then looked back at his magazine. "Whatever, then..."

Everyone else started chatting aimlessly amongst themselves as I headed towards my room to grab my laptop. Gotta work on this Journal and my homework, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Ah man, I loved writing the Big Long Arcana Hermit Drider Risette fight in this chapter. So much fun. Also educational in a way, since the Drider form of the Shadow was larger than Anansi as reference to the fact Female spiders are larger than male ones. And yes, I will eventually touch upon the bit about Shinjiro and Roy both summoning without an Evoker. They both have different reasons for it, although I'm sure most readers of the original AFNF can figure out why Roy did pretty easily.

In a related story, Y'know how there was a Typhoon in Persona 3's canon? Well, I said fuck that thing so it doesn't happen in Reshuffled's canon. Why? Culture Festival Shenanigans, that's why! Now guess what's coming up two chapters from now... and after that? Well, I have... other plans. Mwehehehe...


	19. Denizens of the Darkness

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**A Jack Frost Guy** - MY EVIL GENIUS WAYS KNOW NO BOUNDS! MWAHAHAHAHA!

**Yeah Way** - That part was fun to write, honestly. I mean most of the fandom has everyone terrified of her, so I wanted to try something different because really. She's at eye level with Roy's collarbone and he's slightly insane. Why would he be scared of her?

**Jenni Saba** - Shhh no spoilers dearest! But yes, the Fuzzy Mittens have arrived. They will be returning shortly.

**Overlord Duelist** - And Akihiko's favorite movie is Proteinception.

More thanks to the ever amazing **Lady Starwing** for helping motivate me to get this chapter done! She also may or may not be responsible for other shenanigans that have cropped up *cough*Touhou jokes*cough* but whatever! ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"Okay, so." I began, staring at Kaz after the MMA club was over. "What'd you wanna talk about, dude?"<p>

He just kinda fidgeted nervously on the bench, staring at couple rolls of sports tape in his hands. "...Man, I don't even know where to start."

"Start simple." I suggested.

Kaz nodded a little, then offered me one of the rolls of tape.

"I want you to have this." He said. "My nephew got me a lot as a good luck charm once I got better, but there's more than I'll ever use. Should come in handy if you get hurt durring practice or if you ever try sparring with Sanada-senpai again."

I took the roll from him and twirled it around on my finger lightly. "Thanks man."

"No... I should be thanking you." Kaz laughed. "If you hadn't talked some sense into me... well... when I got my cast off, the doctor said if I hadn't come in when I did, I'd have been recovering for probably the rest of the school year."

"Ouch." I winced. "Good thing you actually listened then."

He shook his head. "It's more than just that. My nephew... He looked up to me before, but now? Now I'm like some kinda super hero for him. He's trying really hard to get better like I did, and... I dunno what to do."

"Support him, what else?" I asked. "You had to do something to recover the way you did, maybe you could show him how to do that. Maybe even some tai chi or something."

Kaz laughed. "Man, leave that stuff to the Water Benders."

"Why else would I suggest it?" I countered. "Also, props for actually knowing the show..." I paused, thinking about an incident at the mall a few weeks ago for a moment.

"You okay?"

I shook my head. "Nah, just lost my train of thought. But anyways, I think you were in the middle of saying a thing?"

"I was kinda lost, but... I think I got an idea now." he said. "I won't give up on my dreams, but I'm not gonna be selfish about it like I was in the past. I'll help him get better, and I'll become the best athlete in Japan! Just you wait and see!"

"Kazushi, my friend..." I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I am looking forward to it."

**CRASH**

-Nice!-

_Thou art I... And I am thou..._

-Wait what?-

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Chariot Arcana hath been set free._

-What the...? Wait, it's that other thing again!-

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Thor, the Ultimate Form of the Chariot Arcana..._

-...FUCKING METAL.-

"By the way, what was so important you couldn't talk to me on Saturday?"

Kaz just rubbed his neck. "E-Eh heh... s-some buddies of mine invited me to a late concert so I wanted to hurry home and meet up quick so we could get good seats... turned out to be a bust, though. The power went out in the middle of things and wouldn't come back on."

"Popular band?"

"Somethin' like that..." he said, clearly trying to not say who the performer was. "But we should probably get outta here since club's over."

"Yeah, probably..."

* * *

><p>Nobody was around after school, not even Aigis surprisingly, so I wandered over to the mall to check on the aftermath of the Operation. No marks outside the building, and no sign the stage was ever there. Fuckin' Dark Hour magic hacks at their finest, I suppose.<p>

"Hey, Roy?"

-Yeah Pharos?-

"Um, does that girl on the bench look familiar to you?"

I looked in the direction he pointed and nearly had a heart attack. The panic subsided quickly when I sensed the Lovers Arcana from the girl on the bench, because until I did I though the Hermit had snuck out of the Dark Hour somehow for Round Two.

-Guess that means she's the REAL Risette.-

"So it would seem..." agreed Pharos. "She looks kinda bummed, though."

-Wonder why...-

"Well, go find out. Doesn't look like there's a body guard around and nobody else seems to have noticed a pop idol in the middle of the mall..."

I hummed. -Good point, Pharos.-

I tucked my hand into my pocket and walked over to the girl.

"Excuse me, miss..." I began. "Is this seat taken?"

She looked up at me in confusion. "Huh? Oh, no. You can sit down if you'd like..."

"Thank you." I said with a smile, glad to be off my feet for a little bit.

Risette just mumbled something, kinda sulking in her seat.

"Something wrong?" I asked, looking at her.

She hesitated a bit. "...Kinda."

"Date stand you up?"

That actually got a laugh out of her. "No. If only it were that simple, really..."

"Then what happened?" I asked. "I mean, if you don't mind telling a complete stranger."

"Depends on whether or not you'll tell me your name."

I smirked. "Roy Fortune."

That got a curious eyebrow raise out of her. "Seriously?"

"I have the student ID card to prove it." I said, producing said card from seemingly nowhere. "See?"

She stared at the card, then shook her head. "Wow, now I've seen everything..."

"And what's your name, Miss?" I asked, feigning ignorance. It wasn't as hard as it sounds because I only know her by her stage name and the fact I've heard I think three songs of hers. Reach out to the Truth is kinda catchy, though.

She laughed. "Wow, I guess not having much makeup on does wonders for not standing out."

Eyebrow. "What, are you a celebrity?"

"I'm Rise Kujikawa." she stated. "Y'know, Risette?"

My eyes widened in mock surprise. "Really? Huh, no kidding on the not standing out thing then."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She giggled, then her cheery attitude that'd settled in vanished as quickly as it appeared. "But... I'm kinda bummed out."

"Why?"

"Well... did you hear about my gig at the club here a couple nights ago?"

Eyebrow yet again. "...Saturday night, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I have now." I said. -Kaz is so a Risette fan.- "What about it?"

She sighed again. "It was going really well. Tickets were sold out, fans were excited... then barely a quarter of the way in the power just went out!"

-...Wait a...- "What time did your show start?"

"Um..." Rise tapped on her chin. "Around a Quarter to Midnight. One of the latest shows I've done... why?"

-WELL FUCK.- "Just curious. I heard there was some kinda power futz on this part of the island around eleven fifty eight on Saturday Night."

"Yeah..." she groaned, sounding rather despondent. "The show was canceled because of it, since the power didn't come back on for nearly four hours..."

-Well double fuck, I think that's our fault, Pharos!-

"Probably is, Roy."

"Damn, that sucks hardcore..." I commented. "Were you looking forward to that concert?"

She nodded. "Yeah... I was having so much fun, but then... it all just went down the drain."

-Yeesh, she's takin' this kinda hard...- "Well, was it a big gig or something? I'm sure the club'll be willing to let you put on a second showing for free if you bring it up with them.""

"I tried that..." she sighed. "My agent said we don't have the time to hang around though, so... that plan just kinda fell flat on its face. On the bright side, though, the club promised to make it up to me the next few times I'm in town."

I smiled. "Well, that's good. Invite some friends along, have a good time... just don't order the wrong drinks or nothing."

Rise laughed quietly. Honestly it sounded like she ever really had the chance to have a normal conversation with anyone. "I'll make sure to remember that." Her expression changed suddenly. Now she looked confused. "But... I gotta ask. Why haven't you, y'know, started geeking out on me?"

"Ah, that Miss Kujikawa, would be because I'm a fan, but not one of the crazy ones. Hell, I've honestly only heard three of your songs, but they're quite good." I told her. "You're very talented for your age, but if you weren't you probably wouldn't be in the business I'd imagine."

A faint blush crossed her cheeks. "Oh my, such a gentleman... why can't more of my fans be like you?"

"Because the majority of your fans aren't half American screwballs who befriended someone who once accidentally created and set off exploded a smoke bomb in their Junior High Chemistry Class?"

That got another laugh out of her. "Yeah... yeah, I guess that'd do it. Kinda nice to have a conversation where someone wasn't asking me twenty questions or trying to get me to sign like fifty things for 'em..."

"I can imagine." I said, leaning forward in my seat slightly. "Though I think at least three dudes I know would probably fit the bill for what you just described and all of them would probably kill to be in my shoes right now... except maybe one, but he's kind of an idiot."

Rise just rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'll bet. Let me guess, one's the wanna be casanova type?"

"Nailed it." I laughed. "Still a decent guy, though. Just tries to keep himself smiling because of reasons and stuff."

"Ah, I see..." she murmured. "Hm... say, want to make your friend super jealous?"

I shook my head. "Rather not, really. I mean, if I'd had something you could autograph, I'd ask so I can pass it to 'em. I prefer to stay on peoples good sides."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" She all but cooed. "Oh, oh! I know! Let's go hit the music store. I'll sign some copies of my newest CD for you to give to your friends."

I blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah!" replied Rise. "I mean, why not? You're easily the nicest fan I've met in person."

"Well, I do strive to be a gentleman..." I said, adjusting my tie and uniform jacket. "Or at least try to, anyways."

She giggled again. "Well you're certainly on your way Mr. Bond. Now hurry up, I gotta go meet my agent at the station in forty minutes."

* * *

><p>So yeah, I walked into the music store, got like seven copies of the newest Risette CD, and all of 'em were signed by her, some with messages specifically for the people I was gonna pass 'em too. Well, except one because she absolutely insisted I have one for myself. So I headed back to the dorm and found the place surprisingly empty besides Shinjiro sitting on the couch.<p>

"Hey." He greeted lazily, flipping through a cooking magazine. "Surprised to see you back first."

"Everybody else off worrying about our friend at the hospital?"

He shrugged. "Probably. 'cept Fuuka, Ken, Aigis and Koromaru. They headed to the store."

"Ah." I hummed, then dug through the bag I got at the music shop. "Speaking of store, though, here."

Shinjiro gave me an odd look as I held out one of the Risette CDs to him.

"What's this for?" he asked, taking it from me. His expression took a turn for the super confused when he saw the cover. "...And why is it autographed to my cousin?"

"Well, I had a chance encounter with Risette herself at the mall today." I told him. "Chatted with her for a bit, and she offered to sign a bunch of copies of her CD, so I got 'em signed for a few friends."

Shinjiro looked up at me. "This one's autographed for Kaede, though."

"Well, I only knew five people who'd WANT an autographed Risette CD, so I figured you could give it to your cousin as a birthday gift."

He arched an eyebrow. "So you didn't even get one for yourself?"

"No, Risette insisted that I have one for myself." I said, holding up the CD in question. "Wouldn't let me leave the store without it."

Shinjiro just stared at me like you'd stare at someone who just intentionally slammed their fingers in a door.

"What?"

"So not only did you meet a famous pop singer..." he began. "But you apparently managed to befriend her AND get her autograph on seven copies of her newest CD, all but one of which you're just giving away to people, one of which is intended for a little girl you barely known beyond the fact she's my cousin."

Eyebrow. "Yeah, that's about the gist of it. Why?"

"...Roy, you have got to be one of the least selfish people I've ever encountered in my life." He said. "And... well, that's honestly saying something."

"Who am I stacking up against?" I asked. "Now you've got me curious."

He hesitated for a second, then shrugged. "My granddad, for one. Asami for another, and... well, they're the only ones I care to mention."

"Your grandpa's still kicking? Then why'd you get sent to an orphanage?"

"...I didn't, actually." he said, his tone depressed all of a sudden. "My parents owned it."

-Oh god I think I know where this is going ABORT CONVERSATION!- "...Ah. Sorry to bring it up then..."

"Tch, no need to apologize for that shit; they were also going to be on the list of selfless people I've met, just didn't know if that would make me seem like I'm a softass momma's boy." Shinjiro said. "Plus Aki always clams up whenever I bring it up due to Miki, so I haven't gotten much a chance to talk about 'em. Keeping shit like that bottled up ain't good for anyone."

I held up my hand. "A bit late for the 'softie' part, given how you were acting around your little cousin. Not that I blame you, she's adorable."

He laughed. "Heh, it's hard to NOT be soft with her, Roy. Spend enough time around her and you'll see."

"Dude, she's seven and calls you 'Shinji-nii-san' in the most sing-song voice possible." I stated. "If she acts any cuter, she could cause some kind of cuteness based version of diabetes... like... shit, dunno desubetes or something."

"Pffft what?" he sputtered, trying to fight off laughter from the sounds of it. "Desubetes what the fuck dude?"

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW MAN, OKAY?" I shouted, throwing up the arm that wasn't holding both my school bag and the bag of CDs.

"D-Damn it man, twice in as many days?" He snickered, now definitely trying to not bust a gut again.

-Oh dear god Pharos, I've created a monster...-

"More like unleashed one." he commented as Shinjiro started laughing his ass off.

**CRASH**

-OH COME ON REALLY?-

_Thou shalt-_

-MAN FUCK THE MOON ARCANA RIGHT NOW, YOUR REQUIREMENTS FOR BOOSTS ARE STUPID YOU SPOOKY VOICES!-

"Roy, might wanna help him y'know."

-Right, Shinjiro's dying right now.- "Good lord man, BREATHE!"

"I... pahaha... don't get to laugh like this often, Roy! Let me just... pffffffft... let me have my fun..."

I sighed. "Fiiiine..."

Seems his ability to act tough and intimidating just flies right out the window when he's laughing that hard.

* * *

><p>The rest of the evening was a bit more sane once other people showed up, though there was some fucking INTENSE fangirl screams when I passed out the Risette CDs. I didn't even know Junpei's voice could GO that high. I don't think Junpei knew it either.<p>

Speaking of Junpei, he bolted off right after class again. Seems pretty eager to work on the whole 'talking with Chidori' thing. Chihiro, on the other hand, wanted to chat... but not at the school so we ended up going to the Manga Cafe at Iwatodai Station. Even dragged me to a far off corner way in the back of the store.

"Chihiro, what's going on?" I asked once we finally sat down. "You're acting kinda odd."

She didn't answer right away. All she did was shiver in her seat, sounding like she was fighting back tears.

"Chihiro?"

"I... I don't know what to do, Roy-senpai!" She exclaimed suddenly, looking up at me with utter terror in her eyes. "S-Some students came up me today at lunch and... and..." Cue the tears. "...And they think I stole their money!"

I blinked. "What, why? You're not the type to steal anything."

"I-I know, b-b-but..." she stammered, trying to fight back her own sobs. "I-I was excited the other day b-because I found some manga I've really wanted to get at Bookworms for much cheaper than I could at other stores... a-and due to that, th-they..."

I held up a hand. "Okay, calm down. I believe these guys are completely wrong and should be punched, so I'd like to know more details. Why'd you have their money and if you did have it, what did you do with it?"

It took Chihiro a few moments, but she finally calmed down. "It w-was their materials fee for their class. I-I told them I gave it to the teacher, but... but they didn't believe me!"

"Hmm..." I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair a little. "What class was it for?"

"Class One B... my class..." She said.

I nodded. "Alright... I'll ask around school tomorrow. See if I can find out something about what's going on."

Her expression lit up the moment I finished talking. "Really? Y-You'd do that for me, Senpai?"

"Yeah, of course." I replied like it wasn't a big deal. "Never too busy to make time to help out a friend."

**CRASH**

-Woo Justice, now shut up spooky voices.-

"T-Thank you..."

I waved my hand a little. "Ah, you don't need to thank me for anything. It's just what I do."

* * *

><p>Nothing major happened the rest of the day, or all day Wednesday for that matter... though Shinjiro did enigmatically ask how long Chidori had been at the Hospital. Thursday after school, though, I tagged along with Junpei to visit our mutual red haired artist friend after we picked up something at the store.<p>

"Yo, Chidorita!" Junpei called out once we finally walked into the hospital room.

She glared over at him for a moment. "Don't call me that."

"C'mon, cheer up..." he said with a slight pout. "Oh, and here. I brought you a new sketchbook. I thought the one you've got might be getting kinda full at this point."

Chidori looked between him and me as he set the sketchbook down on the stand next to her. "...That wasn't necessary, Junpei."

Junpei chuckled as he sat down on the stool next to her bed. "Heheh, you said my name... I was kinda worried I wouldn't hear it from you again."

I looked over at Akihiko and Mitsuru standing in the corner and moved over to 'em.

"So how've things been going with Junpei doing the talking?" I asked.

"Fairly well." Mitsuru admitted, sounding impressed. "She hasn't said anything useful yet, but there's been some progress."

"That bad, huh?"

The three of us turned around to see Shinjiro walking into the room.

"I guess not even Roy can work miracles all the time..." he commented.

Akihiko arched an eyebrow. "It's still a start, but... why're you here?"

"Ngh!"

"Chidori? What's wrong?"

The Senpai and me span around, and suddenly there was a flickering image hovering near Chidori. Some kind of lanky woman with a white helmet mask thing and scraggly hair was looming over her, one of its hands near her neck.

"A Persona!" Mitsuru exclaimed.

Shinjiro suddenly darted forward, pulling something out of his pocket but when he did the Persona... I guess snarled and smacked him away. A pill bottle fell out of his hand and rolled to a stop near the door once he hit the floor. The Persona hissed again before vanishing.

I just blinked. "...What the fuck just happened?"

"That was... your Persona...?" stammered Junpei. "But... how did...?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah... just a bit shaken around now..." Shinjiro answered as Mitsuru helped him up. "That wasn't normal... not by a longshot."

Akihiko, meanwhile, was more interested in the pill bottle that Shinjiro dropped.

"What is-"

And then all of a sudden, Chidori was clutching her head again and the Persona was back, snarling and growling at Akihiko.

"Whoa, what the-?"

"Step away from the pill bottle!" I said. "Just move your hand away, Akihiko!"

He just nodded silently, standing up and stepping back. Once he did, the Persona vanished again.

I looked at the bottle on the ground, then at Chidori who seemed to be alright again.

"Chidori..." I began. "...Is that normal?"

She shook her head. "N-No... Medea... she's never gotten angry like that before..."

Once she looked at the pill bottle, though, she suddenly tried to press herself against the headboard of her hospital bed.

"K-Keep those away from me!" She exclaimed. "G-Get rid of them!"

"Okay, just gimme a sec..." I said, walking over, picking up the pills, then slipping them into an SD card in my coat. "There, taken care of."

Chidori seemed to relax after that. "Thank you..."

"What was that about, Chidori?" asked Junpei. "What were those?"

She hesitated. "...They're not good for me. That's all I'll say."

"Shinji."

I looked over my shoulder and Akihiko was glaring a hole through Shinjiro's head.

"We need to talk." he said sternly.

"I think we all do." I added, approaching the upperclassmen as Junpei kept talking with Chidori. "Y'know, back at the dorm. Might be kinda important to keep everyone on the same page, I mean."

Mitsuru gave Shinjiro and Akihiko pointed looks. "I agree. We'll discuss this tonight in the command room."

I went back over to Chidori while the three of them got to talking.

"...What did you do with them?" she asked, shivering slightly.

"Storage." I said. "I'll get 'em to the dorm and we'll probably deal with 'em there." It was at that point I noticed something. "...Wait, your eyes were a different color a few days ago... why're they...?"

Chidori quickly looked down, nabbing her sketchbook and beginning to draw again. "...It's a side effect. It passes as they leave the body."

I looked at Junpei, then back at Chidori. "...Alright then. By the way, did you want some other pencils to draw with? Maybe coloring pencils?"

"...You don't have to bring me anything." she said.

"But she'd really enjoy it." Pharos commented. "Right?"

-Definitely.-

* * *

><p>The lot of us didn't stick around Chidori's hospital room for much longer since Mitsuru was very insistent on getting to that meeting. Fortunately, everyone else was at the dorm when we got there so the meeting started right away.<p>

"What's going on, senpai?" asked Hamuko.

"It seems there's more to Strega than we thought." stated Mitsuru. "Fortune. Show them."

I nodded, pulling the pill bottle out of the card I'd slipped them into and setting them on the middle of the table.

"What're these?" asked Ken.

"Persona Suppressants."

I blinked and stared at Mitsuru. "How the fuck does something like that even exist?"

"They were manufactured by the Kirijo Group in the past." she replied simply. "They were meant to assist someone in controlling a Persona if they couldn't do it by themselves. However, there were side effects..."

"...What kind of side effects?" asked Fuuka.

"They're like a poison." said Akihiko. "Take them too long, and you're gone... but if you don't take them, your Persona kills you."

Shinjiro just shifted in his seat slightly while almost everyone else let out a gasp. Aigis didn't seem as surprised, but she probably knew about this to some capacity.

"You said these WERE made by the Kirijo Group, though." Yukari noted. "Does that mean your company stopped making them?"

Mitsuru nodded. "Yes. Once the side effects began to manifest, production ceased and all of the drugs were supposed to have been disposed of. And yet, there's a whole bottle of them right sitting right in front of us..."

"Why did you even have these, Shinji?" Akihiko snapped, suddenly standing up. "Are you taking them yourself? You know the risks involved with these things!"

Shinjiro just stayed in his seat, working his jaw slightly.

"Answer me!"

With that signature intense glare of his, Shinjiro stood up got right in Akihiko's face.

"You know damn well why I had those with me." he snarled. "But it's in the past. I've been back in the fight for a while now, and this is the first time in five months I've even touched that damn bottle and it wasn't even to take one myself! So save your damn preaching for someone who hadn't heard it off and on for over a year."

"So you were taking them..." Akihiko growled. "What would've happened if you hadn't stopped in time? Where would you be then?"

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" demanded Shinjiro. "It doesn't even matter now! Stop trying to live in the past already, you can't change what's already been done no matter how much you want to!"

What I expected next was for the shouting match to intensify. I did not expect Akihiko to suddenly deck Shinjiro in the face and knock him to the ground.

"Holy-!"

"Senpai!"

"Akihiko!" snapped Mitsuru. "Control yourself!"

Akihiko was breathing heavily as Shinjiro picked himself up off the floor. He wiped some blood from his lip, then went back to glaring a hole through Akihiko's head.

"...Hmph." He grunted. "Sloppy."

And then Shinjiro decked Akihiko in the face, sending HIM to the floor.

"SHINJIRO!"

"Okay, just calm the flying frig down the both of you!" I said, stepping between Shinjiro and Akihiko as the latter got back up. "Next one to throw a punch is getting suplexed!"

Mitsuru simply sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Thank you, Fortune."

"No problem." I glanced at Akihiko, noticing him channel some healing into his nose. Shinjiro must've hit him harder than it looked like he did. "But what exactly ARE the full details of the damn side effects? Do you know?"

"No, only that they eventually prove fatal." said Mitsuru.

"The Suppressants were observed as causing a fatal form of Apathy Syndrome."

Everyone turned to face Aigis.

"...Come again?" I asked.

"If taken for a period of time exceeding two months, the subject will begin to develop Apathy Syndrome." she said. "According to the documentation, after two years of taking the Suppressants, the subject will reach an incurable state of Apathy Syndrome that deteriorates the mind until their brain can no longer function."

"...H-How do you know that?" asked Hamuko.

"Following our operation in August, I began updating the information in my memory." Aigis replied. "Among them being details from Kirijo Group lab notes supplied by Takeharu Kirijo in contingency should the information become relevant to our operations."

The whole room went silent, and I just looked at Shinjiro. And then I noticed something.

"...Hey Aigis..." I began. "Was one of the signs a discoloration of the eye?"

"Yes." she answered. "Subjects displayed a graying of the iris. Upon reaching Apathy Syndrome, their eye color had changed completely to gray. If not taken, however, the graying would steadily reverse."

"So I'm NOT tripping balls!" I said, pointing at Shinjiro suddenly.

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Your eyes!" I stated. "They're freaking PINK!"

Shinjiro just kind of stared at me. "...Yeah, they are. It's a quirk of my dad's side of the family. Why?"

"Dude, that takes the whole 'Real men wear pink' thing to like a whole new level." I commented.

Suddenly, Hamuko shoved past me and was right up in Shinjiro's face, staring intensely.

"Oh my gosh he's right..." she said with almost childish glee.

Shinjiro just stared back, seeming a little flustered. "Um... personal space please?"

Hamuko quickly stepped back. "Oh, sorry senpai!"

"I don't think she's sorry at all, Roy." commented Pharos.

-Me either.-

"But... what about Chidori?" asked Junpei. "Her Persona was freaking out when Shinjiro-san walked in with those in his pocket."

"I showed up because those other two idiots we saw back in the bunker have to take 'em, so I figured she did as well." said Shinjiro. "I used to trade stuff I cooked to 'em for some of the pills, but I don't know how they ever got their hands on the damn things and at the time I didn't care. Still don't because, like Roy so aptly put it, they're not exactly high up on the threat list."

Mitsuru's eyes narrowed. "So then there are only three members of Strega?"

Shinjiro nodded. "Yeah. Just her, the bomb squad reject, and the stick figure."

"Still doesn't explain why her Persona lashed out like that..." noted Akihiko, having apparently finally calmed down.

I hummed slightly. "Junpei, before we turned up on the roof, did she give any hint as to what sort of abilities her 'Medea' has?"

"Um... well, she noticed when you guys beat the Shadow that night." He said. "So I guess she's kinda like Fuuka?"

"Sounds about right. She apparently picked up on at least Anansi being in my head and made a comment about him." I said, crossing my arms. "And another thing... You reacted to her having cut herself, but there wasn't a mark when we saw her the day before the operation. What was up with that?"

"She has remarkable self healing abilities." interjected Mitsuru. "She's repeatedly harmed herself, only for any marks to disappear within two to three hours as if they never happened."

I hummed again. "Sounds like her Persona has a passive regeneration ability like Shinjiro's does then. And following that logic, someone with that sort of an ability would likely work those suppressants out of their body much faster, thus requiring far more to actually be in danger of the whole death by brain damage thing."

"That is a logical assumption, Roy-san." commented Aigis. "But it does not explain the previously mentioned reaction from her Persona."

"...Maybe it was scared?"

Everyone turned to Ken.

"Well, it kinda makes sense." he continued. "Personas are a part of a person's mind, right? If you take pills that kill your mind, wouldn't that be like killing your Persona?"

-...Okay there is definitely something up with this kid, I'm like eight-thousand six-hundred and thirty-seven percent sure of it.-

"That is a really random number, Roy."

-It's my pal's lucky number, okay? Shut up.-

"That would make some amount of sense..." agreed Fuuka.

"She also reacted with fear when she saw the pills herself." added Mitsuru. "Given that her Persona lashed out at the suppressants, she must not need them to control it. I'll have a word with the hospital staff tomorrow to see if we can run some simple tests. I'd prefer to not leave her fate up to chance, even if she is our enemy I am not so heartless as to let her die."

"...Senpai..."

"...Stop staring, Iori." Mitsuru said, shifting in her seat and looking away. From the rosy color of her face I'd say she was embarrassed. "I'm not the sort to be cruel simply for the sake of being cruel..."

He jumped slightly. "R-Right, sorry... I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Stay up late on Call of Duty again?" I asked.

"I haven't touched that game in over a month." he grumbled. "I just get wound up and fidgety and it takes me forever to sleep."

I laughed. "Sounds like me every full moon."

"That sounds like all of us on a full moon." commented Shinjiro.

"Who cares?" griped Hamuko. "Can we take a break for dinner? I'm getting hungry."

As if on cue, every stomach in the room growled. The silence that followed was deafening.

"...We're never speaking of this." I said. "Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Cool, now let's go eat."

* * *

><p>I probably shouldn't have been as amused by Akihiko not putting protein powder on his dinner as I was. Outside of that and the meeting, nothing really happened until it was nearly the Dark Hour. I say 'nearly' because shit started roughly two seconds before it kicked in when I suddenly heard Chidori screaming in my mind, and then almost instantly after Yukari was screaming outside my mind loud enough to be heard on the guy's floor. Thankfully I heard Hamuko shout 'SHUT THE FUCK UP YUKARI' in English before Yukari's screaming stopped just after Chidori's did. So I was pretty damn awake and so was likely everyone else in the dorm.<p>

"What the hell is going on?" Shinjiro shouted as I stepped out of my room, tugging the last of my Tartarus gear on.

Koromaru was barking from the staircase as Mitsuru descended suddenly.

"You all heard it as well?" She asked.

"If by 'it' you mean 'a psychic scream' then yes." I replied. "I'm almost positive that was Chidori."

Junpei's door flew open as the man himself staggered out, still putting on his shirt. "Roy might not be, but I'm sure it was her!"

"How did we hear that, though?" asked Ken. "She's at the hospital!"

"Fuuka's able to talk to Akihiko when he's clear over in Port Island on patrol." I pointed out. "And since Chidori is effectively Strega's equivalent of Fuuka..."

Some hurried footsteps came from the stairs as the other girls scurried down, stopping near Mitsuru.

"Something's happening at the Hospital!" Fuuka reported. "Chidori-chan keeps calling out for help!"

"What?" sputtered me and Junpei at the same time.

"We need to hurry." said Mitsuru. "No time to fully prepare, just grab what you can and move out!"

"I've got spares with me so just skip the grabbing and let's get moving!" I added, hopping over the railing to get a head start down the stairs. "I'll pass 'em out on the way!"

* * *

><p>Good thing we were as quick on our feet as we were despite the minute or two lost wondering what the hell happened, because there were a couple more psychic screams from Chidori. Of course, what was more worrying was the fact there was smoke billowing from the window of Chidori's room once we actually got there. Koro, Junpei, and me lead the charge in, but once we got into the building it turned out there wasn't actually a fire. Probably for the best, since Akihiko looked like he was about to have a panic attack. Ken and Fuuka waited outside the hospital, the former mainly because he was concerned about leaving Fuuka outside alone when we don't know all about what's going on. Good call on his part, really.<p>

It didn't take more than a minute for us to find the two clowns from August trying to get into Chidori's room.

"What the hell? Open up!" shouted Jin, pounding on the door. "Chidori!"

Takaya, however, noticed the lot of us approaching from down the hall. "It seems we have company..."

"And what're you doing out of your room at this hour?" I quipped, really not wanting to miss a golden opportunity despite the seriousness of the situation.

He just laughed. "A stab at my appearance? Rather low for one such as yourself, what with your 'righteous' goals."

"Don't care." I shrugged. -Fuuka, tell Hamuko, Shinjiro, Akihiko, and Yukari to go around the other side so these two can't escape.-

_{I will!}_

-Thanks. Any sign of others?-

_(No, Ken-kun hasn't seen anything yet.}_

-Alright, just keep your guard up.-

"One of you assholes, open this damn door!" Jin demanded, having apparently failed to notice four of our group suddenly left.

"Not an option." said Mitsuru, her voice as cold as her Persona's abilities.

"We're not even here to pick a fight with you assholes!" he snapped. "We're here to get Chidori, and then LEAVE."

I heard Junpei shift slightly, and I moved my arm a little in case I need to stop him from rushing these two.

"We cannot allow you to do that." stated Aigis. "You are our enemy."

Takaya laughed again. "Enemy? I thought we weren't a threat, or has something changed?"

"Oh, nothing's changed." I practically growled. "Just best not to take chances with madmen."

The pale, tattooed asshole looked over his shoulder as Shinjiro's group appeared from the other end of the hallway.

"I see... so you give us no chance to escape." noted Takaya. "How odd that your actions seem to contradict your own words."

His arm moved, reaching for that revolver he kept in his belt.

"Perhaps then I should show you your folly...?" he asked, taking the... -HOLY FUCKING SHIT HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THAT?-

"HAMUKO, NOW!"

Takaya and Jin whirled towards Shinjiro's group, all of whom had no idea what I was going on about, as I sprinted towards the hippie as fast as possible.

"GET DOWN!"

There was a sound like a cannon going off when I slammed into Takaya, probably because I caused him to fire his gun in surprise. My ears were ringing as we both hit the ground, but I didn't care. I had to get that damn revolver away from him.

I vaguely heard shouting and had to kick Jin in the face before I started to try wrestling the gun away from Takaya. Luckily I managed to get it out of his hand before he could try to fire another shot, but Jin threw me back.

He started to make a move, but suddenly had Takaya's gun in his face as I got up.

"Now now..." I said, the ringing finally starting to go away. "You wouldn't want to lose your head, now would you?"

Jin just glared. "You don't-"

"This thing can kill Rhinos you ignorant fuck." I said coldly, pulling back the hammer. "Don't push your luck."

I could see the terror ignite in Jin's eyes when I said that. He took a few careful steps back, never once taking his eyes off me.

"...You are most fortunate to still be alive then." noted Takaya, who actually seemed a bit shaken up.

"Fortune favors Fools, I suppose." I smirked. "So, what do you think your options are now?"

Takaya looked between the two groups of SEES members before returning his gaze to me. "A tactical withdrawal."

A smoke bomb suddenly went of, and I reflexively hit the safety on the revolver and tightened my grip on it. No way in hell was I going to let that asshole get his hands on this again. There was a few loud crashing noises, Chidori screamed again, and the sound of an evoker going off, but then it all went away as Yukari blew away the smoke. When it cleared, the door to Chidori's room was smashed apart. Junpei rushed in first, Koromaru right behind him and barking. The rest of us followed, finding Chidori curled up on her bed. The window was busted, and there was the vague outline of something flying away. It was hard to see because it must've been trying to get the hell out of dodge, so presumably it was the Persona of either Takaya or Jin being used as an escape mechanism.

"Chidori, are you okay?"

She was still shaking and curled up on her bed, but she eventually nodded in response. My gaze then drifted away to the weapon I'd just swiped from Takaya.

"What the hell-"

"I should be dead."

Everyone probably looked at me as I stared at the gun in my hand.

"I should be fucking dead right now." I repeated. "My head should be gone, a stain on the walls of that goddamn cave."

"Roy? Dude, you okay?"

"I SHOULD BE DEAD, JUNPEI!" I shouted, whirling around to look at him. "I'M NOT OKAY AT ALL!"

The gun dropped from my hand and clattered to the floor as I felt my body start to shake uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around myself and sank to my knees.

"I should be dead..."

I felt someone hug me... but it wasn't Hamuko.

"It is alright, Roy-san..." murmured Aigis.

"Yeah, just calm down okay?"

A hand settled on my shoulder. And that was definitely Hamuko's voice.

"Everything will be alright." Aigis again.

"...Where the hell did he get his hands on this thing?" Shinjiro. Sounds surprised.

"What's the big deal with that gun?" Akihiko.

"Smith and Wesson Model point five-hundred." I said. "My Uncle Shane has one just like it. It's rated against African game animals, including rhinos."

"What?"

I nodded. "It's used to kill rhinos. Fifty caliber rounds. If not for our Personas we'd probably be almost permanently deafened right now. Except maybe Aigis any of us would be dead the moment we got shot by it. No idea how he managed to use it while he's built like a twig. Lucky the gear I have is basically invincible or my head wouldn't exist right now. Blame the cave for making the gun sound different back then."

Koromaru whimpered, suddenly nudging me with his nose. I looked down at him and his ears were moving around a lot. I think he might still be partly deaf from that gunshot. I did my best to smile despite how much I was shaking, carefully reaching out to pat him on the head. His tail started wagging a little and he seemed a bit at ease.

"What happened, Chidori?"

I looked up a little. Junpei was apparently keeping Chidori calm while I was freaking out, probably so we both didn't have a freak out spiral where we made it worse for each other. She looked like she was fairing better than me though, despite having decided to cling to Junpei's shirt a little in the time between I was last looking at her and now.

"...They..." she sputtered. "...They tried to give me those pills... I don't..." She suddenly griped his shirt tight. "I don't want to lose myself to them again..."

Junpei just looked at the rest of us for a second, confused and worried, before looking back at Chidori.

"Don't worry..." he said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "You won't have to take them again..."

"...Lose yourself...?" asked Mitsuru. "Yoshino, are you saying you do not have the same condition as the other members of Strega?"

It took her a moment, but she nodded. "I was... forced to take the pills before. Before I met Takaya and Jin. We were abandoned, and they kept making me take them. I never felt the need to resist. I just went along with what they said, nodding like... like some kind of doll."

I could feel the air heating up, and I instantly looked at Junpei. He was shaking in anger.

"We'll have to move her to another part of the hospital." suggested Akihiko. "They could come back for her again. And if this is how she reacted..."

"I agree." said Mitsuru. "But, we'll have to wait out the Dark Hour here. Any staff on site will need to know, and we'll have to call the doctor in charge of monitoring her condition."

"What about Roy?" asked Yukari.

Mitsuru shifted slightly. "Aigis, can you escort him back to the dorm?"

"I will do so." she replied.

"Not all of us have to stay, though." Shinjiro cut in. "You, Aki, and Junpei should stick around till the Dark Hour's over. The rest of us can get Roy back to the dorm."

"What about the gun?"

"Leave it." I said quickly. "Call cops once Dark Hour's over. Tell 'em there was an attempted kidnapping. Culprit dropped it."

Mitsuru looked at me, clearly worried about how I was acting.

"...Take him home." she said. "Now."

"You heard Senpai, let's go..."

Hamuko and Aigis pulled me to my feet, but the latter didn't want to let go so I got to find out how sightly awkward it is to stand up with someone hugging you. It didn't take long for them to start leading me out of the hospital.

* * *

><p>The Dark Hour ended about a minute before we got back to the dorm. I was still too shaken up to really pay attention to any conversation that may or may not have been going on beyond Koro bumping against my leg a few times. Aigis and Hamuko were practically glued to me the whole way, the former especially. I think Hamuko let Aigis take me to my room alone, because when I finally sat down on my bed, the only ones there were Aigis and Pharos.<p>

"Will you be alright, Roy-san?"

I just... nodded a little. I couldn't find my voice.

"I am... relieved." She said. "I hope you can rest well. Goodnight, Roy-san..."

She started to leave the room and something in me just lurched me out of bed, grabbing her left hand.

"Don't." I pleaded, a feeling of dread bubbling up in my chest. "Don't leave. Stay... please..."

Aigis stared at me in surprise. "But... I do not wish to disturb you while-"

"Please don't leave..." I begged. I don't know what was possessing me to act like this. Probably the realization of a near death experience. "Just... stay."

She seemed like she was internally debating what to do for a little while. Pharos was oddly quiet durring all of this.

"...Very well, Roy-san." She said finally. "But, I will wait outside until you have changed into your 'pajamas' as Hamuko-san called them."

A feeling of contentment washed over me and I slowly let go of her hand. "...Thank you..."

She smiled softly, then stepped outside. I hurriedly started to get changed.

"...You alright, Roy?" asked Pharos, finally deciding to speak up.

-No idea.- I answered. -No idea at all.-

I knocked on my door lightly once I finished changing. Aigis came back in, still smiling a little. I smiled back slightly. Still no idea why I'm still acting like this. I crawled into bed and Aigis sat down beside the bed, looking up at me.

"...You'll stay?" I asked, looking at her.

She nodded. "I will, Roy-san."

"...Thank you."

Aigis' smile widened slightly as I tugged up on my blanket.

"Goodnight."

"Rest well, Roy-san." she said as I closed my eyes. "I will... remain here to watch over you."

I don't know why, but those words made my chest feel a little tight.

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Aeon Arcana..._

I can't remember much after that because I actually started falling asleep at that point.

* * *

><p>I felt a hell of a lot better once the morning came round. Wasn't shaking or anything. Aigis left about a minute after I was conscious, and the typical morning routine stuff went down and then school happened. Day was mostly normal, though a few people heard on the news about the 'attempted kidnapping' at the Hospital. I hit up Student Council after class and Hidetoshi asked me to help with a presentation thing about the 'proper' way to wear the school uniform. I got to be an example of 'acceptable' levels of deviation. What turned most heads, though, was him asking for opinions.<p>

"How do you think I did?" he asked as the other members talked amongst themselves. The two of us were sitting in the back of the council room.

"Pretty good." I told him. "Posture was a little stiff, but nothing other than that."

Hidetoshi smiled slightly. "Well, I'm proud I at least made the effort. I'm going to have to if I want people to believe I'm not selfish... which reminds me, look a this."

He reached into his pocket and produced a small, slightly cheap looking Zippo lighter.

"You remember the cigarette butt incident?" He asked. "I got this from a student from Class Two D. He fessed up to his crime and promised he'd never smoke again. Gave me this as proof."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"

"He said he'd heard about all the trouble his behavior had caused his friends." said Hidetoshi. "He was debating what to do all summer, and once he saw how differently I've been acting lately, he decided to come clean. This lighter is proof of that."

I smiled. "A little sincerity goes a long way, huh?"

"Yeah... I suppose so." He said, then handed me the lighter. "I want you to have this."

"Sure... but, why?" I asked.

"Because, I learned something from talking with you." stated Hidetoshi. "I learned to not look down on people, no matter who they are. Everyone has the same feelings, even if they aren't expressed in the same way... I want to know more about people so I can strive to be a better leader for them." He chuckled lightly. "I don't think I'll ever be quite as good at it as you are, though."

**CRASH**

-Go away you.-

_Thou art I... and I am thou..._

-Wait what one of these again?-

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Emperor Arcana hath been set free._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Odin, the ultimate form of the Emperor Arcana..._

-...Odin. I can drop FUCKING ODIN ON THINGS NOW? FUCK YEAH! Friendship ROCKS!-

"Man, don't say stuff like that." I said. "I'm not all that special."

Hidetoshi just rolled his eyes. "If you say so... but, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you remember the story I told you once? About the TV Anchorwoman?" He asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"...The man sent to prison was my father."

I blinked. "...Oh. Well. That um... that makes things a bit clearer."

"I imagine it would." he said. "I've finally seen for myself how important sincerity is, and what an amazing man my father is... and I'm proud of myself for it."

"Damn right you should be, Hidetoshi."

* * *

><p>The meeting kept going for a little while longer, and when it finally ended everyone bailed pretty quickly. Mitsuru and I were the only ones left in the room when we heard some commotion from outside.<p>

"Asami, just-"

The Student Council Room's door flew open and in walked a very scary looking Asami Fredrickson with a look on her face that heavily implies Shinjiro's death glare is actually passed down his family tree. I'm not sure if I want to make a Fullmetal Alchemist joke or be terrified beyond all reason. I'd say both but I'd like to keep my legs not broken.

"Mitsuru Kirijo, just what on earth are you thinking?" she demanded, getting right up in Mitsuru's face.

Mitsuru was so far on the backpedal already in this conversation it was scary. Mainly because this is the first time I've seen her look that scared of another person.

"I'm sorry Mitsuru." Began Roland, walking into the room and shutting the door to likely cut down on the noise heard by other people. "She was talking to Shinjiro earlier and..."

"And I want to know why you've neglected to tell me about the Evokers." continued Asami, her tone practically dripping with anger. "What the hell possessed you to make them look like guns?"

"I..." stammered Mitsuru, trying her best to bounce back from all but literally being shoved into a corner. "I was..."

"Okay, everybody just calm the fuck down here for a second." I said, finally getting into the conversation and carefully getting Asami out of Mitsuru's face. "What the frigging frig is going on? What is wrong with the Evokers?"

Asami took a few deep breaths before she answered. "What's wrong is the design. Shinjiro is holpophobic; he's terrified of guns!"

I blinked. "He is?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "He's had holpophobia since he was eleven years old. And yet you expect him to use evokers that look like real guns?"

"I... I didn't know..." stammered Mitsuru. "He... he never said anything... never gave any indication..."

Asami just stared at Mitsuru. "You never asked?"

"O-Of course I did!" she replied. "He said he had no issue... that nothing was wrong..."

"While we're on the subject, why exactly DO Evokers look like guns?" I asked. "Seems kinda random to me."

"Akihiko, I'd wager." said Roland. "There were other types back in the day, but given the kind of person Akihiko is... I'm betting you wanted to get his attention with it."

Mitsuru was still for a few moments before she reluctantly nodded. "...Yes. I was concerned if I showed anything else he wouldn't join SEES."

"Meanwhile, Shinjiro was more concerned about his best friend doing something stupid than anything else." noted Asami "The fact he's used the damn thing as long as he has is proof of that."

"And wasn't there something in the pipeline about making more easily concealed Evokers?" asked Roland. "There had to be, or else you wouldn't have been able to get one for Koromaru."

Eyebrow. "So, would that mean I WOULDN'T have to carry around an easily taken away object to access abilities in a way that means I won't die? Because Channeling is nice, yes, but not super practical against a large enough group of Shadows."

"Most likely..." admitted Mitsuru. "I'll look into that once I return to the dorm. And... I apologize for being insensitive to Shinjiro's condition."

Asami shook her head. "No, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I thought you knew, but should've expected that Shinji never told anyone."

"That would actually explain why he never directly looks at his Evoker when he uses it..." noted Pharos.

-...Huh, I never noticed that. Then again, I don't typically have the time to.- "Wait... Question! He never mentioned a problem with Evokers before now, right? What changed?"

"The incident at the hospital last night." said Asami. "Said that the bullet from that 'hippie asshole' nearly went through his head. Then he said what kind of gun it was, and... well, here I am now."

I looked over at Mitsuru for a moment. She looked like she was chewing on her lip now.

"...Makes sense." I noted. "Not every day you find out the asshole Persona user out to try and stop us has a gun that powerful."

"He also mentioned you were pretty freaked out as well." said Asami. "You holding up okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah... trying to not think about it helps. Too close for comfort."

"The police have it now, so by this point they're likely trying to identify where it came from." said Roland. "You should be glad you had gloves when you touched it or you might've been getting heckled by Kurosawa about it."

"Well, that's good..." -I'm not sure I wanna know how Takaya got his hands on that thing... the fact he could at all here in Japan says something about how resourceful he is. Or maybe he's just a lucky fucker, I don't know, I don't care. I just don't want to deal with him again.-

* * *

><p>The rest of the day was a hell of a lot more tame, small Tartarus excursion that night excepted of course. Saturday rolled around, and after school I found myself dealing with some of the most concentrated stupidity I've ever witnessed at this school. Started with me helping Chihiro study in the Library, but she was having a hard time focusing.<p>

"Then... Okay, what's wrong?" I asked, cutting off my own explanation. "You're distracted. Something on your mind still?"

She nodded a little. "The missing fee money... no one's found it yet. I haven't heard anything about it directly, but... I know what they're all thinking."

"What, that you stole it? They're wrong and should be punched if you ask me."

Chihiro fidgeted in her seat. "I know, but... I can't take it anymore... I don't want to be here..." She suddenly looked up at me. "O-Oh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't be saying things like this as a member of Student Council..." She quickly stood up. "I-I'll be right back, I'm going to go check out some books!"

She scurried off, leaving me and Pharos alone. Being Pharos, he was naturally sitting on the table.

"I'm worried about that poor girl." he commented. "I swear, this peer pressure is not good for her health."

-People are fucking assholes sometimes, Pharos.- I thought. -Honestly, how hard is it for people to just talk about problems?-

He gave me a look.

-Well it's not really problems in my case, but yes alright I admit the hypocrisy.- I mentally grumbled. -But still! How hard it is to walk up to someone, ask 'Did you do the thing', and then find out the truth of the matter?-

"So, yeah... there's no way it could be anyone else. I has to be her."

"Pretty hard." Pharos commented, looking at a couple of girls who were sitting a bit further down the table form where I was. "If those two are any indication."

"That girl in Student Council, the first year with long hair and glasses." said the first girl. Devil Arcana.

"The one who's always reading?" asked the second girl. Sun Arcana.

Devil nodded. "Yeah. I hear she stole her class's money. Twenty-five hundred yen per person."

"Damn, I could buy a brand name purse with that much!"

"I've heard she doesn't have a dad." continued Devil. "She can't have that much money, cuz her mom works part-time. I don't see how it couldn't be her that did it."

Sun didn't seem quite so sure. "She has such an innocent face, though..."

I hadn't even realized how intensely I was glaring at them until Devil, who was sitting further way, looked at me.

"Oh my gosh..." she said, nudging her friend. "Look. That guy is checking us out... he's kinda hot..."

Sun, however, looked about ready to jump outta her skin when she saw me. "N-No, h-h-he's not checking us out... He looks really mad..."

Devil looked confused. "Why? There's no way he could be friends with Chihiro."

"He's one of those guys in that dorm!" hissed Sun. "Y'know, the one Kirijo-senpai is in? He's on Student Council, too!"

Devil went white as a sheet. "Oh... c-c'mon, let's go outside. I-I'll tell you the whole story once we're outta here!"

I felt myself smirk as the two girls scrambled to get out of the Library, though that smirk vanished once Chihiro turned up, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"...I... couldn't find the book I was..." she stammered.

"Okay, let's just pack it in for now, okay?" I said, closing my textbook. "We can talk outside."

She just nodded quietly. "O-Okay..."

* * *

><p>"...Did you hear the rumor about me?" she asked once we'd packed up our books and left the library. "The one going around the school?"<p>

"I just heard two girls talking about it before you came back." I said. "But I know it's completely wrong! So really, you should just try to calm down. Clear your head a bit, then see about asking the teacher about it."

She nodded a little. "Y-You're right... I gave him the money, so I should ask him if he knows what happened to it..."

[Attention please. First Year Chihiro Fushimi and Second Year Roy Fortune.] came a voice over the school PA system. [The Student Council President would like to speak with you. Please report to the Student Council Room immediately. I repeat...]

"T-The President wants to speak with me...?" asked Chihiro, now paler than a ghost. "D-Don't tell me she..."

I shook my head. "No way. Mitsuru-senpai probably just wants to find out the details from the source rather than listening to rumors."

"I-I hope so..."

"Well, we'll find out. Let's go." I said, starting to lead Chihiro to the Council Room. Mitsuru stood up from her seat once we walked in, a stern but not terrifyingly intense look on her face.

"Good, you're both here." she began. "I apologize for the sudden announcement, but I have something to ask you. I've heard a rather concerning rumor that has begun circulating the school."

Chihiro swallowed nervously. "D-Do you think I... stole the money?"

"I'd rather hear the whole story from you before I make any accusations." she replied.

"Find balance rather than make a blind, over-zealous attempt at preserving order?" I asked.

Mitsuru nodded. "Precisely, Fortune."

"I... um..." she sputtered. "I... I collected the money when school resumed, and t-took it to the t-t-teacher r-right away..."

"And yet the fees were never marked as paid?"

Chihiro nodded.

"...I see. But, there's no need to be nervous, Chihiro. I was simply testing you. From what I've seen in Student Council, it's obvious you didn't take the money." said Mitsuru. "But, in a situation like this I'm afraid you still have to prove your innocence. Can you do that?"

"Th-Thank you, Ms President... but..." Chihiro lowered her gaze. "I-It's hard for me to say this... but, I... I don't think I can..."

Mitsuru gave a sympathetic smile. "Never be embarrassed of who you are. Please, allow me to handle the situation. It's my responsibility as Student Council President." She turned to me. "I'll need your assistance, Fortune."

Before I could even so much as inhale, Chihiro suddenly stepped forward.

"P-Please, wait!" She exclaimed. "H-He's not...! You don't...!"

Mitsuru and I looked at her in confusion.

"I was simply-"

"I-It's unacceptable! I won't let you punish him!" she shouted, getting more frantic by the second. "If I can clear my name, that won't be necessary, right? I'm going to talk to the teacher!"

"Chihiro-"

And then the bespectacled brunette bolted from the council room, leaving me and Mitsuru in stunned silence for a moment.

"...What just happened?" she asked.

I blinked. "I think she's so out of it she somehow thought I was in trouble? We should probably go after her. Like now."

"Agreed."

* * *

><p>The two of us darted after Chihiro, finding her in the first floor hallway shouting at a teacher.<p>

"-I handed the fee money to you directly!" she exclaimed as Mitsuru and I got over to her and the teacher. "Do you expect me to pretend that never happened?"

"N-No, just...!"

"Please explain! Or else..."

"I-I'm sorry, Fushimi-san." apologized the teacher. "This is my fault..."

"O-Or... wait, huh?"

The Teacher opened his briefcase and pulled out a sealed envelope. "I've had this with me since you gave it to me. I was in a rush to catch my train, so... it slipped my mind completely." He chuckled lightly. "I guess I must be getting old, huh?"

"It-It's not funny!" said Chihiro.

"Don't worry, Fushimi-san." said the teacher. "I'll explain to the class what happened on-"

Suddenly, a student, looked to be a third year, rushed up from behind the teacher, snatched the money envelope without losing his stride, and slammed past me and Mitsuru towards the stairs.

"Hey!" I shouted, hauling off after him. "Get back here!"

"Stop him!" Shouted Mitsuru with military-like authority as I followed the thief down the stairs and into the main lobby.

"Hey, no running in the halls!"

"That guy stole the missing money from Class One B!" I shouted in response to whoever said that as I kept after the guy, who slowed down a second at the door.

I heard a second set of footsteps, then something shot past me on the right.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" roared a familiar voice as I felt like a spike in air pressure, then suddenly that blur slammed into the thief right as he reached the school gates. And when I say 'slammed', I mean 'hit that dude like a speeding train carrying about a dozen stacks of a dozen tanks'. I think I even HEARD a bone SHATTER.

"AAAAAAAAAAUGH!" screamed the thief. "MY ARM!"

I slowed to a stop, finally noticing that what hit that guy was, in fact, the resident chief of security and uncle of everyone's favorite peacoat clad Persona user.. I seem to be running into him a lot lately.

"Then maybe ya shouldn't have run." he growled, picking the student up off the ground and holding onto both his arms. "Wouldn't have gotten hurt that way, y'know."

I scanned the ground quickly, spotting the envelope and picking it up. I looked up at Roland and the thief who was trying, in vain, to get away.

"Nnngh...! Let go!" snapped the kid. "I didn't do shit!"

"Bull!" I countered. "You snatched up this like a seven year old bein' offered a candy bar!"

"Shut up, gaijin!" he barked, only to grunt slightly because Roland gripped his arm tighter. "Ow ow OW! Stop that!"

"Then shut up!" snapped Roland, and the air pressure seemed to spike again. I focused for a second and figured out why.

-Hello Indra of the Emperor Arcana, nice of you to make your home in that guy's head.- I thought. -Pharos, remind me to not get on Roland's bad side.-

"Sure thing."

"Fortune!" "Roy-senpai!"

I looked towards the school and Mitsuru and Chihiro had caught up with the teacher in tow.

"He didn't get far." I said, holding out the envelope to Chihiro. She quickly took it and sighed in relief before passing it back to the teacher.

"I said let go of me, damn it!"

Roland growled. "And I said shut up! You're not going anywhere, kid." He looked over at Mitsuru. "Where should I take him for now?"

"To the Principal." she said coldly, that icy stare of hers piercing right through the thief's head. "We're going to have few words with him."

Now the wind was just all out of this guy's sails as Roland started hauling him off, Mitsuru and the teacher not far behind, leaving me and Chihiro alone.

"Ha... I... I can't believe I did that!" She giggled, sounding happier than she has the entire time since school started back up. "Haha... to think I said 'I won't let you do that' to the President..."

"Always knew you had something like that in you, Chihiro." I said, patting her on the shoulder. "It's like a saying my Uncle is fond of goes; Demons fear when a good man goes to war."

Chihiro giggled again. "Did I sound cool?"

"Very cool." I replied. "Might wanna talk to Mitsuru-senpai about what happened, though. Just in case."

She nodded. "Yes... I should."

"But where did that all come from, anyways?" I asked. "I'm honestly curious."

"My mother says I've been like that since I was a little kid." she explained. "Even though I'm normally quiet and timid, when it comes to something I care about I get very aggressive. I... I thought you were going to be punished because of what I did, so..."

I laughed. "It's alright. I totally understand. Never a bad thing to stick up for what's important to you, be it your beliefs, your friends, or anything else."

"I agree." she said. "And... thank you, Roy-senpai."

Eyebrow. "For what?"

"For being my friend." she replied simply.

**CRASH**

-Oh go away.-

_Thou art I... and I am thou..._

-Wait, again? That's like the third one in as many days!-

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Justice Arcana hath been set free._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Melchizedek, the ultimate form of the Justice Arcana..._

-...I don't know who or what that is but I'll bet they're fucking awesome!-

* * *

><p>Nothing else worth talking about happened for a while, so eventually I was in my room back at the dorm working on things.<p>

"Y'know, I just thought of something."

I leaned back in my chair to look at Pharos. "What?"

"It's been a long time since we first me." he commented. "Time goes by pretty fast, huh...?"

"Yeah, it does..." I agreed. "And sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same..."

Pharos laughed. "I guess so, but should you really be waxing philosophical with quotes from Beast Wars?"

"Oh shut up." I grumbled at him.

He just chuckled again. "But... I can feel memories of mine being stirred up lately. Like the tower... something's got me paranoid about it."

Eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know... just that there's something very bad that is going to happen there."

I hummed. "Hrm. Between that and whatever is up with Ken, shit may or may not be going down soon."

"Probably..." he agreed. "You really ought to look into that."

"Yeah... I'll hafta work that in between stuff for the Culture Festival coming up soon."

Pharos smiled. "Good. Gotta keep on top of things. Sudden change can be good or ill, but it's up to the individual to determine which."

I laughed. "The Tower? Really?"

He just kept grinning. "You never know what sort of change Death will bring, after all."

**CRASH**

-Woo! Now go away voices.-

"But... what ARE you planning for the Culture Festival?" asked Pharos. "There was talk about some clubs doing things, and others about individual classes having plans, but what about SEES? You guys are still listed as a school club, after all."

I just smirked. "Perhaps it is time I... reveal my intent with The Plan."

* * *

><p>Pharos agreed that 'The Plan' sounded like it will be awesome. And no, don't expect me to say what 'The Plan' is here in the Journal until it is put into motion. I have to keep some mystery about it now don't I? Bwahaha.<p>

Since it was a Sunday, most of the people in the dorm scattered and I was no exception. I headed over to the Shrine with Koromaru and found a couple of familiar faces.

"Doggy!" exclaimed Maiko, kneeling down as Koromaru ran up and started licking her face. "Hehehe! Hi Koro-chan~!"

"Ah, so we meet again..." commented the Striped Shirt Guy who I vaguely remember as being around when Liz and I were talking to Maiko at the Takoyaki stand like months ago. "Today seems to be a day of reunions. It's been quite some time since I last saw Maiko-chan."

I chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing myself."

"I'm gonna miss you..."

I looked at Maiko. "What cha' mean?"

"Mommy and I are going to be moving tomorrow. Today's my last day here..." She said, sadly petting Koromaru. "So... I came to say goodbye."

I knelt down next to Maiko. "So does that mean we won't be friends anymore?"

She shook her head intensely. "Nope! We're bestest friends forever! Forever and ever and ever!"

"Glad to hear it!" I smiled. "Where you going to be moving to?"

"Mommy wanted to go somewhere less crowded, so..." she began. "We're movin' to the town were Auntie Himiko lives called Inaba."

I grinned. "Oh hey, my uncle lives there!"

Maiko's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Yeah. He's really nice so if you ever go past his store in the shopping district, say hi to him okay? Just don't touch the stuff in there."

"Okay!" she chirped, smiling at me. "C'mon c'mon, we're gonna play a lot today! You too, Stripe Shirt!"

He laughed. "Alright alright, just go easy on me..."

"Aaaah... I'm tired..." Maiko giggled, sitting atop the jungle gym with me and Pharos like two hours later. Koro and Stripe Shirt, who introduced himself as Akinari Kamiki, were resting on a bench since the latter wasn't feeling well. "But that was a lot of fun..."

"Haha, yeah..." I agreed. "Best last day?"

She nodded. "Bestest. I'll never forget about this." She hummed. "You think I'll make friends when I'm in Inaba?"

"Of course." I said. "There's gotta be some kids your age who'd wanna hang out with you."

"Yay!" she cheered. "I'll make lotsa friends and we'll play together bunches!"

I smiled. "I know you will, Maiko-chan. You're smarter than a few people my age and just as awesome."

"You talking about Junpei or Akihiko?" asked Pharos.

-Yes.-

"Hehe, thank you~!" giggled Maiko. "Oh oh, here. I made you something."

She reached into her pocket and handed me a small ring made of beads.

"I wanted to give you something to remember me by once I'm gone." She said. "So you're not allowed to forget me, Roy-san!"

I chuckled, slipping the tiny ring onto my left ring finger. "Alright alright. I promise I won't forget."

**CRASH**

-Again?-

_Thou art I... and I am thou..._

-ANOTHER ONE WHAT?-

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Hanged Man Arcana hath been set free._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Attis, the ultimate form of the Hanged Man Arcana..._

-...I feel like I know who that is and now I'm nervous.-

"I gotta go home now, though..." said Maiko, climbing off the jungle gym. "Bye Roy-san! Bye Stripe Shirt! Bye Koro-chan!"

"Bye Maiko-chan!" I called out as she started to leave.

"Farewell." said Akinari, waving at her. "May your future be bright."

I sat atop the jungle gym a little longer before I finally climbed down.

"I'm gonna miss her..." I commented.

"As will I." agreed Akinari. "She shines with the warm light of new life... and then there's me, cooped up and struggling to breathe."

I looked over at him. "That why you been sitting there for the last hour?"

He nodded. "Yes. Compared to her light, I am but a vanishing shadow, lying in an unyielding darkness..."

"Sounds fairly poetic..." I said. "There a reason you think that? "

"Yes..." he replied, looking up at the sky faintly. "Any day now... I'm going to die."

I stared at him quietly. "...What?"

"It's a genetic disease without any known cure." he continued. "Nobody knows what it's like to be in my position, but... I prefer it that way. I wouldn't wish this on even the worst of people."

"Jeez..." I murmured. "I'm sorry 'bout that man. Sounds pretty bad."

Akinari laughed. "Why apologize? It's not your fault this happened... but, I'm still glad to hear it. It's been some time since I last spoke to another person around my age... I suppose it's natural for those in darkness to yearn for the world of light."

"That I can relate to." I said, walking over and sitting down next to him. "I've known darkness for a long time, though not in the way you have."

"Is that so? Interesting..." he said. "I'm glad we could meet, then. A fellow being of night would make good company as I await the end. If there is a god, I'll be able to thank him soon enough..."

**CRASH**

-Eh?-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Sun Arcana..._

-...That's fucking messed up, spooky voices.-

"Though... I'd prefer to not see you again." Akinari admitted. "You only live once, right? Why waste what time you have among the dying?"

I stood up, adjusting my hat a little. "Those who fight must be prepared to die, my friend. It is true of those who walk in light, and it is true of those who walk the night."

* * *

><p>I scratched Koromaru behind the ears on our way back to the dorm.<p>

"I'm surprised you didn't say somethin' when I mentioned darkness." I said. "Or are you the guardian of those who dwell in the shadows?"

Koromaru barked proudly, walking with an equally proud swagger to his step.

I just laughed. "Well keep up the good work little buddy. We're counting on you."

**CRASH**

-Ohai Strength Card, go away spooky voices.-

* * *

><p>Once the two of us arrived at the door, I threw the door wide open.<p>

"Hello friends I have returned!" I exclaimed, walking in with Koromaru. He barked a few times as it to add 'As am I!'. "Where's Ken?"

"In his room." reported Hamuko. "Why?"

I smiled, noting that the rest of SEES was in the Lounge. "Good. Because I have something I need to share with you all in regards to the Culture Festival and it needs to be kept secret from Ken."

Mitsuru arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, let me tell you The Plan and you will find out..."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes<strong> - I only have one thing to say about this chapter. Y'know how there was a typhoon in P3 that ruined the Culture Festival? FUCK THAT SHIT. Guess what gets to happen in chapter 20 now. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!


	20. Culture Chaos and Sentai Shenanigans

Pre Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**R3qu13m0f50ul5** - First off, good lord man your name is awkward to type(no offense intended). But no, Maiko will not be particularly relevant to anything at all in Norimoto Style beyond a Continuity Cameo or two, probably with her set up as a friend of Nanako's.

**NewAgeHipster** - Well that's obviously one way of guessing, but anyway you slice it they boil down to 'magic things that let us kick ass'. But really, the stuff about how and why, at least specifically for the Reshuffled Timeline, will get brought up eventually and stuff will make more sense.

**Delta XIII** - The Persona 4 character encounters are partly for World Building, but I will admit there is going to be a payoff in Roy having met most of the cast sans Teddie. And what Doctor Who reference? I don't actually watch the show so whatever you spotted wasn't intentional. Shinji's laughing fits might pop up a few more times, but they won't be quite as frequent as Yukiko's(although she was the inspiration for Shinjiro laughing that hard). Lastly yes, Roy would punch the Spooky Voices in the face if they had one. He might even punch their face in the face.

**Phantom High** - No, there is no reference intended with Maiko joining a club. It was just Roy making a suggestion to her. Also, the Social Link Completion Counter is, as of the end of this chapter, at 6 out of 23 with only one non Plot Social Link(Fool, Death, Judgment) currently not started. Which reminds me, I can't for the life of me find exact details on when the Fool Link boosts again so it's been sitting at, on my chart, Rank 5 since chapter 10. Can anyone help me verify if I missed a rank up on that? But anyways, Shinjiro's eye color is due to some headcanons I've spawned about him like his aunt being an AU version of Argilla from Digital Devil Saga. You guys should hear the headcanons I have for the family members of other characters, they're ridiculous. Also, I have no comment on your mention of the Featherman Rangers beyond this: Mwehehehehe.

**Overlord Duelist** - And yet one of the coolest characters in Tales of Xillia has bright pink eyes, so it's probably purple ya gotta watch out for. And Shinjiro's not even an OC anyways! Silly Overlord Duelist.

**Yeah Way** - I know roughly eleven people who agree with you about Desubetes being hilarious. Possibly more.

Thanks to **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts** for helping me with this chapter! Also you should check out her P3 Story **Soul Survivor** here on fanfiction! Also, I'd greatly appreciate it if more people would make a tweak or two to the TV Tropes page for the story. Not just the main, though, but the sub-pages like the Crowning Moments or Your Mileage May Vary ones. I know at least the Crowning Moment of Funny page hasn't been touched since Chapter 7 when Junpei was narrating. But anyways, enough of my begging for people to possibly do things; ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>I'm still amazed Mitsuru approved of The Plan as much as she did. Hell the unanimous agreement that it was fucking awesome surprised me given how often most people, or at least Shinjiro, think my plans are stupid. Of course, getting SEES on board with The Plan was the easy part, but thankfully Mitsuru agreed to help me run it by the principal since we kind of need his permission to pull this stunt.<p>

Actually getting the costumes for it should be even easier but that's getting a bit ahead of things.

The first order of business after school on Monday was Mitsuru and I talking to the Principal. I don't think I've ever seen a grown man get that excited about excessive shenanigans thought up by a teenager before, and we only got about two sentences into our actual explanation before he said 'This must happen' straight to our faces with near unrestrained glee in his voice.

Second order came on Tuesday. Part of it was talking to both Asami and Toriumi-sensei about the plans both classes had for the Festival. Turns out that A. 2-F had no ideas and B. 2-E apparently has the bulk of the Archery Club in it, so the classes and club are gonna team up for one big plan; Maid Cafe. Normally, I'd have suggested something less stereotypically anime sounding, but given what MY idea is? Yeah, I couldn't so instead I got asked to pass around the word to people in 2-F while Fuuka was in charge of 2-E.

The third order was Wednesday, with me rounding up the teachers for the Boxing and MMA Clubs and the student captains of said clubs and getting them to the Student Council Room for Mitsuru and I to attempt to gain their assistance with The Plan. It was around this point the sheer speed at which people were agreeing to this fucking insane idea was beginning to scare me, but I guess everyone in Japan is just actually a HUGE NERD.

Thursday meant it was time for the fourth order of Business, part of which involved getting Yukari to complain less about having to dress up as a Maid for the Cafe. Turns out the offer of me working the door in a tux was sufficient, by the way. Anyways, the actual fourth order was working out a deal with Elizabeth for costumes. Apparently once we get to go back to Tartarus again after Mitsuru works around the whole issue with Evokers I have to hunt down some 'peculiar artifacts' in the tower.

The final orders of business were two-fold and carried out along side everything else; First, Ken must not find out about any of this until it is time to enact The Plan. Second, make it through the first day of the culture festival without incident. The Plan is set up for the second day. Friday saw myself and Junpei getting all of the collected stuff ready for Sunday and passing out what was needed to the other people involved. We were both pretty excited, but then we kind of exist on the same wavelength to some capacity so no real surprise there.

Cue Saturday and the start of the Culture Festival, and Gekkoukan's entire campus from the grade school section all the way up to the high school buildings were swarming with people. Good thing the hallways are so freaking big or it'd have been a pain to get around. Also helpful with making sure the HUGE line for the Cafe didn't clog the entirety of the hallway. Another thing I discovered today: 2-F and 2-E have a dividing wall between them that can actually retract to make for one giant classroom! Honestly I question the practicality of this, but given that there's supposed to be a haunted house on the first year's floor I imagine it was made with crazy ass shenanigans like this in mind.

"Please allow her to show you to your table." I said, indicating Aigis who was standing next to me. The two guys who wanted in simply nodded and followed her in. I turned towards the next customer and smirked.

"Hello, Kirijo-senpai." I greeted, adjusting my tie slightly. "How many in your party?"

She certainly seemed amused by my dedication to the part I was playing. "Just one."

"Very well, madam." I replied with a slight bow. "One moment."

I looked over my shoulder at the classroom. For a semi-rush job by a bunch of idiots, it certainly looked like a semi-reasonable cafe.

Even if Shinjiro wasn't supposed to be the chef since he's not IN either class.

Noting an open table near the back near where the 'kitchen' was, I returned my attention to Mitsuru. "Allow me to show you to your table." I looked at the next person in line. "Someone will be along to assist you in a moment."

Picking up my notepad off the podium we've been using as a front desk, Junpei stepped up to take my place. Him, me, and Kaz have been alternating as doorman and waiters. Nobody trusted Kenji with the job, and Junpei is surprisingly good at attracting female students if you put him in a butler's tuxedo.

I led Mitsuru to the back of the classroom to a lone table. She seemed all too amused by everything as she sat down and carefully picked up the simple menu.

"I take it Shinjiro is enjoying himself?" she asked as her eyes scanned the paper.

"He insisted because apparently 3-A wanted to use him as an Oni or something." I said, holding up my notepad. "No idea where he got the chef uniform, though."

"I have a few ideas..." she commented. "I believe I'll have the Chef's Special and a tall glass of Cielo Mist."

Jotting down her order quickly, I bowed again. "Very well, we'll have your order ready shortly madam."

I turned around and walked over to where Shinjiro had a gap in the cooking stuff that we somehow got to borrow for all of this. Fuuka and Hamuko, naturally in costume, were helping. In a related story, Shinjiro's now part of the Cooking Club.

Shinji looked up at me quickly. "Another order?"

"One special and one large Cielo Mist." I said, tearing off the order and setting it down after marking a large number '14' on it. "Anything need to go out?"

"Not yet, but stick around please!" chirped Hamuko, who walked past me while balancing a few trays with expert dexterity.

I chuckled a little as I turned towards Fuuka. "Holding up okay?"

"Mmhm!" she replied, not once looking away from what she was doing. "It's busy, but I'm having fun so I don't mind."

"Here, get this to table seven." said Shinjiro, setting out a tray of food. "Chop chop."

I rolled my eyes as I picked up the tray. "Yeah yeah, I heard ya Gordon."

"That's Mr. Ramsey to you, Fortune." Shinjiro quipped as I walked away.

* * *

><p>Apart from a few breaks for sending out some of the Cafe staff to get more supplies for Shinjiro to cook with, day one went off without a hitch. Also Aigis apparently doesn't want to give up her maid costume, having apparently gotten fond of it. Yukari as well, though she very blatantly refuses to admit it probably because she rightly thinks Junpei will probably rib her about it for a few days. Once we got back to the dorm, most of us almost instantly crashed in the lounge.<p>

"Aaah that was fun~" Hamuko sighed contently, flopping down on the couch. "Tomorrow's gonna be great, though..."

"Why's that?" asked Ken, sounding curious.

I grinned. "Ken, you saw the posters for the thing SEES is gonna do for the second day, right?"

He nodded. "I was surprised since you guys didn't say anything about it, but it didn't say what was going on..."

"It's a surprise." said Yukari. "Sorry we didn't ask for your help, Ken-kun."

"It's alright, Yukari-san." He replied. "Is it complicated?"

I made a 'so-so' gesture with my hand. "A little. No offense intended, but you're a little on the short side for some of the set-up so it was more in interest of avoiding possible injury. Just stick around near the location up on the track field; We might need your help if we get in a pinch."

Ken nodded. "Alright."

"By the way... I've been meaning to ask something for a few days." began Fuuka. "Why do we need to have our Evokers replaced?"

Mitsuru tensed up a little before she started talking. "Some information came to light about possible issues with the current design, so I felt a small change was in order."

"That why you asked for what we'd think would make a better Evoker or if we didn't mind the current one?" asked Hamuko.

"Precisely." replied Mitsuru. "The new Evokers should arrive within the next few days. Morale is important, and it was foolish of me to assume problems wouldn't potentially arise from the gun-like appearance."

"I'll say." commented Shinjiro.

"So what exactly did you suggest, Roy?" asked Pharos. "I didn't get to see what you wrote."

-I said some kinda watch. Wristwatch, pocket watch, either works. Plus then it'd also double as an accurate Dark Hour clock to tell how long we got left without as much guess work involved.-

"That's clever..."

-And efficient. Get some multitasking up in all this crazy junk.-

* * *

><p>The next morning, everyone in on The Plan got what little else they needed for it and headed to school. The Plan would kick into motion at Noon, and we had to handle the Cafe before then after all. On the plus side, we noted there would be a 'restock delay' starting at eleven-forty and would re-open at one. Gave us plenty of time for the 'SEES Special Presentation' as it was officially called.<p>

"What's with the arm bands some people have on?" asked someone in line.

"I heard it's for that thing that 'SEES' club is doing." replied someone else. "I've seen a few people on the boxing team wearing them cuz they're helping out."

"Really? I wonder what's gonna happen..."

I just smirked.

-Soon, Pharos. Soon.-

"Good..." he said, rubbing his hands together like an evil genius with matching tone of voice. "Good..."

* * *

><p>Once the time came, SEES was gathered up at the small-ish stage that was set up for a bunch of different events over the course of the Culture Festival. Well, most of us were. Koromaru and Ken were in the crowd along with Shinjiro's relatives. Fuuka was running the sound system for the stage, Mitsuru was going to be the announcer, and the rest of us were doing the main leg work.<p>

This will be our finest goddamn hour and it shall be glorious.

"Thank you all for coming to a special presentation by the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad!" began Mitsuru, standing off on the far side. "Now, allow me to introduce some special guests who were thrilled to be invited to our humble school, the Pheonix Featherman Rangers!"

No, you did not read that wrong. We're doing fucking Featherman Stuff. As I said before; Our finest goddamn hour and it shall be utterly GLORIOUS.

The crowd went NUTS as Akihiko, Shinjiro, Junpei, Hamuko and Yukari walked on stage in full costume. In order, they were dressed as Red Hawk, Black Condor, Blue Swan, White Swallow, and Pink Argus. Mitsuru handed Akihiko a spare microphone.

"Hello citizens!" He said, doing his best to put on some fake ass heroic sounding tone. "It is a great honor to be invited to Gekkoukan for-"

-IT BEGINS.- "MWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The crowd and SEES looked around before someone pointed up at the top part of the stage. "Up there!"

"SO PHOENIX RANGERS..." I bellowed, absolutely relishing in the chance to play the part of a Featherman Monster of the Week. "...YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN'T FIND YOU?"

A synthetic sounding laugh came from beside me, as Aigis stood up. I suggested she try to sound as robotic as possible and she took that to basically sounding like some kind of crazy robot. Fit with the costume we gave her anyways, since it sure as hell looks robotic.

"Perhaps they expected someone less... subtle?" asked Aigis, that sinister robotic tone certainly working in her favor.

"Who knows?" I scoffed. "I care not regardless!"

"Who're you?" Junpei demanded, dramatically pointing up at Aigis and I.

I hammed it up with another maniacal laugh. "My associate and I are servants of Lord Oblivion! I am known as Tenno."

"I am Sudek." stated Aigis. "Our master has sent us to dispose of you."

"You can't beat us!" proclaimed Hamuko. "We've beaten everything Lord Oblivion has thrown at us!"

I let out another deep, sinister chuckle. "Ah, but we came prepared. ARISE, MINIONS!"

"YES, MASTER TENNO!" exclaimed a large number of voices from the crowd, causing the startled regular patrons to back away, leaving only the MMA and Boxing Club members wearing armbands standing in a decently sized group in front of the stage. "WE ARE READY TO SERVE."

"Good, good!" I laughed, placing my hand on my mask. "Now, Destroy the Phoenix Rangers!"

"YES, MASTER TENNO!"

"No, what is going on?" asked Shinjiro, taking a pose as Aigis and I began making our way down from the top part of the stage. "Is he controlling these students?"

"What do we do?" Yukari's voice there. "We can't use our weapons on them! They're civilians!"

"Take them down without hurting them!" Akihiko. "If we can knock them out, we should have time to defeat Tenno and Sudek!"

"DESTROY!" Shouted the two clubs as they presumably rushed the stage like they were supposed to.

"Nice work with the voice, by the way." I quietly commented to Aigis as we got off the ladder. "Very villainous."

"Thank you, Roy-san." She replied contently. "But let us continue with the operation."

I smiled behind my mask. "Yes, let's."

The two of us got back into character as we came around from the back of the stage, with the crowd having moved closer to the stage again as everyone 'fought' with the 'controlled' students.

"Ngh! They're tougher than they look!" shouted Junpei as he 'brawled' with Kaz. "They must be from sports clubs!"

One of the Boxing Club guys lunged at Akihiko who sidestepped the attack, 'accidentally' tearing off the red armband as the club member sailed past. The guy staggered in place, holding his head with one hand. Taking the chance, Akihiko hit him lightly on the neck with a chopping motion. In response, the club guy promptly faked passing out.

"It's the arm bands!" Akihiko shouted. "Get them off the students and gently knock them out!"

The others did their best to pull it off, but the fact there was at least twenty-something Club Members was making it 'difficult'.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" I bellowed, causing the crowd to back away from the side of the stage Aigis and I were approaching from. "What's the matter, Feathermen?"

"Can't handle a few mere children?" Aigis jabbed. "Pathetic!"

Junpei yanked the armbands off a couple Club members and bopped them on the neck before turning towards the crowd, spotting Ken hopefully as planned.

"Hey, you there!" he called out, pointing at Ken. "In the orange sweater!"

"H-Huh? Me?" -Yep, that'd be Ken!-

Junpei nodded quickly, putting Kaz in a headlock. "We need your help! We came prepared, but not with all of our weapons! We've got a containment cage backstage but we'll need help getting the monsters into it! Can you and your friends help us?"

No sooner had Junpei finished talking than did Ken, Kaede, and every person in the area below the age of twelve rush out of the crowd and straight towards me and Aigis.

"Wh-HEY!" I shouted as Ken and like fifteen other elementary school kids lifted me off the ground. "PUT ME DOWN!"

"Unhand me tiny humans!" snapped Aigis, Kaede among the ones lifting her up. "Unhand me this instant!"

"Over this way, kids!" called out Yukari, hopping over the club member she 'knocked out'. "It's back here!"

"LET GO!"

Shinjiro chuckled as him and the others also got of the stage to show the kids where to take us.

"Who can't handle children now, Tenno?" he asked smugly.

"Yeah!" added Yukari. "Never underestimate someone because of their age!"

The kids cheered as Hamuko and Akihiko opened the big cage made of foam pool noodles, plastic pipe, and a square mattress all covered in black fabric and spray paint before Aigis and I got tossed in. Once in, Akihiko shut the cage and Hamuko hit a 'button' on the side of the cage.

"Now you're trapped!" she said, crossing her arms.

"Pah! No cage can-" I began, only to 'fake' not being able to get my arms out the rather large gabs. "What? What is this?"

A few kids started jumping up and down. "Monster Field!"

"They're right." said Junpei. "You can't get outta that as long as the Monster Field is active!"

"Blast!" exclaimed Aigis, having the same 'trouble' as I did. "Curse you, Phoenix Rangers!"

"Let's go you two." said Shinjiro, pushing the small cart the 'cage' was set on around to the front of the stage.

Aigis and I did our best to look disgruntled as we came into view of the audience, the Club members having all gotten up and shuffled themselves over to one side of the stage, acting like they'd been hurt a little. Once we were up there, Junpei and Yukari started beckoning the kids to come up on the stage. A few of them looked towards their parents, who encouraged them to go along with it. Soon they were all on stage as SEES stood around the cage.

"On behalf of my fellow Phoenix Rangers, I would like to thank you all for your assistance!" said Akihiko as Yukari pulled a large bag out from behind the sound table Fuuka was at. "And to show our eternal gratitude, I dub you all Honorary Phoenix Featherman Rangers!"

"Here, there's enough for everybody." Said Yukari, kneeling in front of the kids with the bag open. Brand new Featherman Badge toys were inside, and the kids went nuts snatching them up.

"Is that everyone?" asked Hamuko, getting gleeful smiles and nods from all the kids before she spotted Ken. "Ah, not everyone!"

Akihiko took one more toy out of the bag and walked over to Ken, kneeling down and presenting it to him.

"Here." he said. "A token of our thanks."

Ken knew who was behind the Red Hawk helmet. He probably guessed what we were up to the very instant Mitsuru said 'Phoenix' and just watched. But now? Man, I've never seen him look so happy. He didn't even care he was being treated like a kid. He was looking one of his heroes in the eye and being told he did something great. And I think that meant the world to him.

"Y-You're welcome..." replied Ken, shaking a little. "...Senpai..."

* * *

><p>Once all the kids were off the stage, Aigis and I were let out of the cage for the closing portion of our silly show.<p>

"Thank you all for being here." said Mitsuru, getting a bow from all of SEES. "And I must also express my gratitude to the Gekkoukan High Boxing Team and Mixed Martial Arts club for their assistance with the performance, and my fellow members of SEES for their willingness to participate! Please allow me to introduce them."

"Playing the part of Red Hawk, Akihiko Sanada!"

Akihiko took off his helmet and waved at the audience.

"As Black Condor, Shinjiro Aragaki!"

A shout of 'SHINJI-NII-SAN IS SO COOL!' came from the crowd as Shinjiro took off his helmet.

"Blue Swan was portrayed by Junpei Iori!"

Taking off his Helmet, Junpei struck a pose as the crowd cheered.

"Dun-da-da-da!" He shouted. "Work hard and you can be heroes, too!"

The kids all echoed his 'Dun-da-da-da!', which was one of the most adorable things I've seen.

"As White Swallow, Hamuko Arisato!"

Hamuko took off her helmet, striking a cute pose because really, there was no way she was gonna pass up on that chance. I'm sure I heard Kaede say 'I wanna be cool like her, mommy!' from her seat on Roland's shoulders.

"Yukari Takeba as Pink Argus!"

A few male students in the audience whistled as Yukari pulled off her helmet, along with a few comments of 'She's so pretty!' from some of the young girls.

"And lastly, playing the parts of the monsters Tenno and Sudek, we have Roy Fortune and Aigis Tokutate!"

Aigis and I both bowed, getting some cheers and several cries of 'Those costumes are awesome!' from the audience. Also some calls of 'keep the masks on!' when we tried to take them off.

"As members of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, we would all like to thank you for being here." said Mitsuru as the lot of us bowed to the crowd. "I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of the Gekkoukan High Culture Festival!"

The crowd cheered and applauded one last time before it began to disperse, letting us get off the stage.

* * *

><p>"That was so freaking awesome!" shouted Junpei once we all were off the stage and heading back into the school to get changed. "Best idea ever, Roy. Totally the best."<p>

"Ah, stop it you." I said, nudging him with my elbow. "We can talk more once I-"

"KAIJU~!"

Suddenly something large hit me, and I staggered back.

"Holy smokes look a the detail on this costume!"

Turns out what hit me was someone who liked monsters... and seemed to have no concept of personal space, given how I was staring at a pair of green eyes behind a pair of glasses barely three inches from my face.

"What'd you use to make the eyes glow like that?" asked the honey brown brunette girl in my face. "How long did it take for you to make this?"

"Whoa, what are-"

"Or wait, are you a real monster?" she asked, suddenly backing away. Clearly not a Gekkoukan student, what with that leather jacket and... is that a Seviper scarf she's wearing?

"I'm-"

"I HAVE TO DISECT YOU!" the brunette exclaimed, suddenly wiggling her fingers. "FOR SCIENCE!"

"NO! NO NO NO!" I said, yanking off my mask. "Hold the freaking phone here, lady! I'm just-"

And then she snatched the mask out of my hand. "YOINK~!"

"HEY!"

"IT'S MINE NOW!" She laughed, suddenly running off. "ALL MINE~!"

"GET BACK HERE!" I shouted, bolting after her.

The girl cackled. "Never~!"

* * *

><p>So for about the next ten minutes I chased this crazy brunette around Gekkoukan, with no help from Junpei or anyone because apparently this shit was too funny. It didn't help that the girl had a set of portable speakers with her and was blaring Yakety Sax from them the entire fucking time.<p>

I finally got the mask back from her when she ran into a couple friends of hers, one of whom was just facepalming at the antics. I liked the t-shirt he had on, though. Dragon sitting on a crescent moon. Looked pretty boss.

Anyway! The lot of us went back to the cafe after we got out of our costumes and bustled through the rest of the day. Ken was gushing about how awesome the Featherman Stunt was when we got back to the dorm, and honestly? It was great to see the little guy in high spirits like that.

Our last day of the Culture Festival was also the shortest day for the cafe, since everyone wanted to check out the 'main event' in the gym. Because apparently some genius decided that a cross dressing pageant should be a thing that happens. And somehow, Kaz, Kenji, and Akihiko are involved.

-I really want someone to explain Akihiko's presence to me.- I commented mentally. -Like desperately.-

"Five bucks says Mitsuru." said Pharos. "That or he lost a bet with Shinjiro's family."

-...I'm not sure why I can see why you think that.-

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" exclaimed the MC for... -Wait is that JUNPEI?- "Thank you all for coming to the first ever 'Miss' Gekkoukan High Pageant!"

-...Why do I feel like this whole thing was his idea? And why is he dressed like Pyro Jack?-

"We hope you enjoy this peek into a defiance of expectation~!" shouted... -HAMUKO WHY ARE YOU DRESSED LIKE A JACK FROST? Albeit a humanoid one in a dress BUT STILL!-

"...Damn..."

I looked to my right and Shinjiro appeared to be muttering something while biting his lip. He was looking quite intently at the stage... -...Wait, is he oggling Hamuko?-

Pharos' response was to jump onto Shinjiro's shoulder and look in the same direction. "Yeah probably."

I rolled my eyes as Pharos hopped off Shinjiro's shoulder, with the 'Jack Siblings' on Stage standing off to one side together.

"Our first contestant is a bit of a traditional beauty, though her exquisite taste in food is countered by her adoration of the old..." said Junpei, holding out his left arm towards the opposite side of the stage. "From Second Year Class F, please give a round of applause for Kenji Tomochika!"

The applause was only rivaled by the laughter of the audience as Kenji stepped out on stage... in a girl's yukata and hair decorations, both bright pink. Credit where credit's due on whoever did the make-up on him, but I don't think it's physically possible to make Kenji look convincingly feminine.

"...H-Hi there..." he stammered, apparently at least making an effort to sound more feminine. A for effort, but could use work. "I-It's an h-honor to be here..."

"I like the yukata, but pink isn't really your color." commented Hamuko.

"I'm going to get you for this Junpei." Kenji snarled, dropping the girl voice. I think I only heard him because I'm like two rows of people back from the stage and he's got a mic on his collar. "Just you wait and see."

Junpei simply adjusted his hat. "I'll own you at Street Fighter later. And now for our next contestant, we have a spirited meat-eater with a competitive streak and martial arts skill to match. Also hailing from Class F for the Second Year Students, give it up for Kazushi Miyamoto!"

The crowd applauded and laughed as Kaz stepped out, not a single ounce of regret or shame in his eyes, posture, or stride. He simply did not appear to give a damn that he was wearing a bob cut wig and what looked like a girl's gym uniform from basically any anime ever, albeit with shorts instead of bloomers.

"'Sup." he said simply, still maintaining an air of 'I have no fucks to give'.

"Well, certainly a bold statement from Kazushi-chan~!" giggled Hamuko. "Any words for the audience?"

"FIRST PLACE OR BUST!" Kaz proclaimed, dramatically pointing skyward.

"Well, we certainly know one of our contestants has their eyes on the prize!" said Junpei. "But can they stack up against our next aspiring beauty? The shining star on Gekkoukan High's Boxing Club, can this Golden Empress of the ring handle themselves on a stage? Coming from Third Year Class D, please welcome Akihiko Sanada!"

I could TASTE the despair in the voices of every single one of Akihiko's fangirls as he nervously stepped onto the stage in a long skirt version of the Gekkoukan High Girl's Uniform, complete with white haired wig with a large single ponytail.

"Senpai, noooo!"

"Why, senpai? Why?"

-My god I should not be relishing in the suffering of others so much right now but I am and it is WONDERFUL.-

"Oh, you certainly look good in that, Senpai..." Hamuko said, arching an eyebrow slightly. "Better than most, I'd say."

Akihiko didn't say anything, he just stared vacantly. The poor man was resigned to his fate.

"Hmm, I think Senpai may have come down with a bit of stage fright..." said Junpei. "We'll just keep things moving along then. Our last contestant is an exotic sort, having transferred here this year from Ireland! Will her charms propel her to victory? You decide! From the First Year Class E, let's hear it for Nicholas Winters!"

While the crowd did applaud, instead of laughter there were awed gasps as Nicholas stepped onto the stage. If it wasn't for the fact I knew that was a dude in drag, I'd swear that was a girl. Wearing a knee-length gray dress with leopard spots, a neckerchief, and blue and white striped stockings and with quite possibly the most convincing make-up job ever on TOP of this guy using his natural head of red-brown hair done up all prim and proper like.

"Take a number please~!" he said in a cutesy voice, striking a pose. "And no flash photography without asking~!"

The crowd was in awe of this guy.

"That's a dude?"

"Holy crap, he could give Yukari-san a run for her money!"

"Can someone pinch me I think I'm dreaming..."

I just nodded silently, convinced this was going to be the most normal crazy thing for me to witness for quite a while.

* * *

><p>About five minutes of semi hurried voting and another five of of counting, the contestants were back on stage with the hosts to announce the winner.<p>

"Alright, you voted, now let's see who will be 'Miss' Gekkoukan High!" exclaimed Junpei. "Hamu-tan, if you would be so kind..."

"With pleasure~!" She giggled, holding up the envelope in question.

I turned my attention to the contestants for a moment. Kenji looked both like he wanted to dive out a window and like he wanted to throttle someone, Kaz was still in 'Ain't give a damn' mode although he was very intensely focused on that envelope, Akihiko seemed like he wanted to just die, and the last guy was stoked as hell.

"And the winner is..." Hamuko continued for dramatic effect, opening the envelop. "...Nicholas Winters of First Year Class E!"

"HUZZAH!" exclaimed the newfound winner, actually eliciting a sigh of disappointment from Kaz while Kenji and Akihiko just stared at Nick in pure shock at his enthusiasm. "VICTORY!"

I heard a loud, exacerbated groan from next to me. Looking towards the source, there was a tall, clearly American dude with light brown hair and glasses standing next to me. He was rubbing his head slightly while a dark haired girl was clinging to his free arm. Both had Gekkoukan Uniforms on, which kinda surprised me.

"He's never going to let me hear the end of this..." He sighed in English. "Like ever."

"Awww, you're not happy for him?" asked the girl, also in English. "He did win..."

The guy shook his head. "I am, but... well, he's never gonna shut up about it is the thing."

I tapped the guy on the shoulder, then pointed at the dude in a dress doing some sort of victory dance on the stage. "Friend of yours?"

"Yeah... old friend." he admitted. "...Wait, aren't you the guy Tori tackled yesterday?"

Eyebrow. "Excuse-"

"It's the Kaiju~!"

-OH GOD SHE'S BACK-

"Tori, no!" said someone else from behind me, causing me to look over my shoulder. The Seviper scarf girl was sitting behind the best friend of the pageant winner along with Moon Dragon Shirt guy and their other friend wearing a blue, red, and green scarf.

Seviper girl pouted. "Aww..."

"Sorry about yesterday..." apologized the girl in the vibrant scarf. "She gets excited easy."

"No worries..." I said nervously, not taking my eyes off of 'Tori'.

"I was gonna give it back to him eventually, Sharkie..." grumbled Tori. "And you can let go now, Lunar."

'Lunar', apparently the Moon shirt guy, did indeed take his hands off her shoulder. "Alright, alright..."

"C'mon guys, let's go congratulate Niko~!" said the girl next to the first guy, tugging on his arm. "C'mon Daniel!"

Daniel chuckled, letting the brunette lead him. "Alright Natalie, just don't yank my arm off..."

The other three followed after them, and I felt a shiver run down my spine for some reason.

"Weird bunch..." commented Shinjiro from behind me, switching my brain back into Japanese mode from English mode. It was strange having a completely English conversation after so long not speaking it regularly.

"I'll say..." I agreed in unison with Pharos.

* * *

><p>I ended up wandering around the school for a bit, since the Cafe was officially closed. I heard more than a few guys complaining about that, mainly because now Yukari and other such popular girls in both classes who were helping with things weren't in the costumes anymore. I eventually ended up on the school roof to get some air, finding that Ms Toriumi had apparently had the same idea.<p>

"Hey sensei." I greeted, walking over and standing next to her. "Enjoying the view?"

"Yeah... been thinking a lot lately." she replied. "Still trying to sort it all out."

"Thinking about what? Though... I guess with Ekoda gone, you've got less to be royally cheesed off about besides students being difficult..."

Toriumi frowned slightly. "I guess... well, everything. Not just about Ekoda."

"Start simple?" I offered.

"...I've been thinking about how I was acting before." she said. "Y'know, when we were talking on Innocent Sin Online."

Eyebrow. "What about it? Seemed like you appreciated having someone to vent to from my perspective."

"I suppose, but... what kind of person logs onto an MMO just to complain about their life?" she asked. "You really shouldn't have had to put up with that."

I shrugged. "Doesn't bother me. I still don't see what's wrong with it, I mean if a friend needs someone to listen to them complain about things, then it's just in me to be that someone to listen."

Ms Toriumi giggled. "I guess you're just a good person then, Roy-kun."

"I'd certainly like to think so..." -Even though I'm probably not.-

"I'm sure of it." She insisted. "Honestly... I learned how to be a better person from talking with you. Or I'd like to think I did, anyways."

"How so?"

"Well... I guess it's because we started talking face to face instead of online." She said. "It's easy to say things about people when nobody knows who you are, but in person? It's... harder for some reason."

I crossed my arms. "Probably because you know who you're talking to."

"You're exactly right; you'd think that would work in opposite, really. Less scared of offending people you know, more scared of offending strangers ..." she agreed. "But... for me, it was the opposite. I didn't care what people I didn't know thought, while I was afraid to speak my mind around the people I did know."

-...Sounds like someone I know.- "And now?"

"Now..." Toriumi laughed. "Now I figured out you have to think before you speak, just like you should look before you leap."

"Better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." I commented.

**CRASH**

-FUCKING- God damn it! Can't these things be less noisy?-

_Thou art I... and I am thou..._

-AGAIN? Good lord how many times has this happened at this point?-

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Hermit Arcana hath been set free._

"I think about six at this point." said Pharos. "Or at least around that many..."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Arahabaki, the ultimate form of the Hermit Arcana..._

-And then suddenly shit's obscure as hell. Goddamn fucking spooky voices...- "...Hey, Sensei."

"Yes?"

"You hear that Innocent Sin Online is closing down soon?"

"Yeah..." she sighed. "I'm bummed, it was a fun game!"

I smirked. "Wanna log on tonight and see if we can get ourselves banned before the game goes down?"

She stared at me for a moment, then grinned devilishly. "Maya and Tatsuya's Finest Hour?"

My smirk widened into a grin to match her. "Their Finest, Most Glorious Hour."

* * *

><p>Addendum 115/09: God I was such an idiot back then...

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Fun fact! There's a creator cameo in this chapter. You might not have a hard time guessing which one is me, but the rest? Also cameos, but some are other authors and a few are good friends! If you can guess which one is Lady Starwing/The Puppeteer of Hearts, you win a cookie! ...Maybe.

But in general, this was an absolutely amazingly fun chapter to write, because really. Shenanigans are amazing and yes, the whole Featherman thing has been a plan of mine since I started writing the story. As for other stuff, such as the Evoker thing and Roy's Addendum, the former is partly personal preference given the way the characters are in this particular iteration of Persona 3's story. The gun Evokers aren't going away completely, but some people might use something different because really, I doubt they'd be so willing to use the gun version if there were alternatives presented. Roy's Addendum, though, is me not so subtly foreshadowing something having gone wrong. It's obvious as to what, given the date listed, but the question is how it went down.

Can you guess? Mwehehehehe...


	21. Perdition Crisis

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**A Jack Frost Guy** - You win a cookie for your guess. And the Yakety Sax was Lady Starwing's idea, while Akihiko suffering was clearly due him touching Mitsuru's backside without permission. Or at least that's the in-universe justification I used in my head when I wrote the scene.

**Delta XIII** - The sheer amount of insanity in chapter 20 has been sitting inside my head since I first started writing Reshuffled. I'm ashamed it's taken me this long to actually get to writing it. But yes! Roy will play a part in Norimoto Style somehow. The original intent was, before the changes I'm currently planning came to be, his mind was trapped in the TV World following his body getting nom'd by the Great Seal, which meant he would've turned up around the time Rise joined the party. If you've read the current version, you probably noticed something saying a garbled message on the Midnight Channel after Yukiko was rescued; That was Roy commenting on how things were suddenly noisy. He would've also ended up a Bonus Boss in January due to having a mental breakdown from missing SEES, Aigis especially. But those details are the old plan. The new plan is... well, let's just say it'll be magical.

**rsdk525** - There's more where that came from, my friend. But to answer your question... everything in the story is Reshuffled. Why would that event be any different? But at the same time... it might be more familiar than you think.

**Jenni Saba** - Well of course Natalie is you, silly! You're the one who suggested the name! And to anyone wondering what I'm talking about, that is the fanfiction account of my adorable girlfriend. Sorry ladies, I'm taken! *is shot*

Once more I'd like to thank my wonderful friend **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts** for helping me get this chapter written! Without much other ado, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>That was the only time I ever wanted to get banned but holy shit was it worth it. Like there's getting banned, but then there's getting banned from an MMO on the day it CLOSES DOWN. I will not disclose what happened, but well... Let's just say sneaking, teleport spells, and the hardest boss in the game were involved. It was great. Toriumi even sent me a commemorative screenshot of our shenanigans that now serves as my wallpaper.<p>

The next couple of days we had off from school because of the festival, which was pretty sweet but it left the lot of us in SEES kinda aimlessly hanging around in the dorm lounge moreso than usual. Junpei and I had taken over the kitchen table because we both discovered the other had a collection of Yu Gi Oh cards. Mine are obviously just English text ones... aside from a few from some newer booster packs that Japan has but the States didn't. Random shit like that is why I enjoy staying here.

"...And then Arcana Force EX the Light Ruler smashes the everloving shit out of your Armed Dragon Level Five." I said, smirking as I leaned back in my chair. "I win."

Junpei groaned, slumping in his chair. "Damn it man, how'd you even get coin flips that good on those damn things?"

"Swag." I said, picking up my cards. "Best of three, right?"

He scoffed, gathering up his own cards. "Totally."

"Dibs on playing the winner!" Hamuko called out from her seat a little ways down the table. Yukari was messing with her hair, purportedly trying to help get the rest of the dye out of it.

"Y'know what we need though, Roy?" Junpei asked as he shuffled his deck. "Real life duel disks. That'd kick ass..." He paused, then looked past me towards Mitsuru. "Hey senpai..."

"No such technology is currently in development at any Kirijo Group facility, Junpei-san." Aigis stated with absolute certainty.

Junpei, Hamuko, and I gave a group groan of disappointment.

"Man... that sucks... Wait, Roy-"

"Even if I called up Nathan, who basically runs the company these days, he'd never go for it." I said as I cut Junpei's deck. "Too impractical of a use for that sort of thing, even if you tried to sell it to him as a 'proof of concept'. Trust me, I've tried."

Junpei slammed his head down on the table. "Damn it all... why must the coolest things be so elusive...?"

"Speaking of strange things the Kirijo Group might be making..." Ken began, drawing the attention of what sure seemed like everyone in the room. "Does anyone know why we need replacement Evokers? The real reason, I mean?"

The tense silence that followed his question was practically deafening. I glanced at Shinjiro, and he was biting his lip. I could tell, but... it looked to be more than just him not wanting to talk about his phobia. He seemed way too shaken up about it.

"Well..." I began, setting my hand of cards face down on the table. "Stop and think about it. People react to the same thing differently. It's just how they are. Like how some people are terrified of spiders, while there's people like me who'd casually let a tarantula crawl up their arm without a fuss."

I saw Akihiko shiver out of the corner of my eye, and suddenly him not really doing much when the last Shadow turned into a half spider thing made a bit more sense.

"Well, yeah..." said Ken. "But what's that got to do with Evokers?"

"That's easy to answer, but first I need to ask you a question and you need to answer honestly." I said to him. "What's something you're afraid of? You don't have to say why, just what it is."

He hesitated for a split second before answering. "Bats."

"Aright, now, what if to summon our Personas, our evokers WERE bats?" I asked him. "Would you be able to do it?"

Ken blinked a few times. "...I don't know... maybe if I really had to, but..."

"But, it'd still bother you a hell of a lot, right?"

He nodded.

"There in lies one of several problems with the current look." I said. "Besides the obvious of the fact most people look at guns and think 'death', putting something that looks like a gun to your head that's not blatantly non-threatening like a water pistol or a dart gun would potentially mess with people's heads a bit even without anything else being involved."

"But would that do anything bad?" asked Fuuka.

I looked over at Mitsuru. "Would it?"

She did that excessive hesitation thing she does sometimes. Only whenever Ken's around. All three of the upperclassmen do it.

"Potentially, yes." she admitted. "If the user is particularly distressed for a serious enough reason, reactions akin to the displays of excessive power Fortune has had in the past could happen."

Eyebrow. "Wait, so the adrenaline rush thing really ISN'T limited to me?"

"I recently found out about an isolated incident that occurred roughly five years ago in a Kirijo Group lab." she said. "A Persona User was enraged for some reason and used an Evoker... their Persona mutated and went on a rampage until the user was calmed down via a tranquilizer dart. It was speculated they would have continued until the source of their rage or the user themselves were destroyed."

The room went silent again.

"...Damn..." I heard Junpei mutter. "That's... scary..."

"Very..." agreed Yukari. "I can't imagine what that would be like..."

Mitsuru shifted in her seat slightly. "Nor can I. The staff at the time were lucky that the Fredricksons were assigned to that lab. They managed to distract the persona user long enough for them to be incapacitated."

"So Shinjiro-san's relatives worked for the Kirijo Group even back then?" asked Hamuko.

Mitsuru nodded in response. "Yes. Asami-san and her colleagues have worked for the company for some time, though more recently several have taken jobs outside of the research divisions for personal reasons."

"Can't say I blame 'em." I commented. "But do you know how long till the new evokers get here?"

"Tomorrow at the latest, I believe." She replied. "Sometime tonight at the earliest."

I nodded. "Cool, cuz once we get those we're headin' back into the tower to get caught up on things..."

* * *

><p>The remainder of the evening was the typical fare once the conversation about the evokers died down. Got up kinda early the next day due to some scratching at my door, which then lead to me quickly getting showered and dressed before Koromaru pretty much dragged me out of the dorm once I put the leash on him.<p>

"Whoa hey, slow down buddy!" I said, Pharos having decided to see how well he could balance on Koromaru's back the entire time. Incidentally, it's weird seeing a leash just pass right through him. "What's the rush?"

Koromaru's reply was a short bark, and for the next three or so blocks I had no idea where he was so intent on going until he finally stopped and barked once at a store. A pet store, to be exact.

"What, you want some better food or something?" I asked. He looked up at me, shook his head a couple times, then tugged on the leash a bit. He pretty clearly wanted to go inside. "Alright alright, we can go in..."

Entering the store, the very first thing I noticed was a clerk moving things around frantically, obviously looking for something. The guy spotted me, then walked over.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Nah, I'm fine. Koro here knows what he's after..." I said, holding up the leash slightly to indicate the Shiba at the other end. "You look like something's ruffled your feathers. What happened?"

Clerk guy seemed a little nervous at my question. "...One of the smaller pets got out of their enclosure."

-Enclosure... that fairly easily brings down the list of suspects.- "Smaller how? Like a gecko?"

He shook his head. "No, it was... well, it was one of the spiders."

-...Well.- "It's not a dangerous one, is it?"

"Oh heavens no!" affirmed the clerk. "It's a red-knee tarantula – they're extremely docile and not dangerous to humans in the slightest beyond scaring the pants off anyone with arachnophobia due to being about the size of the average adult male's hand."

"So you've got a big, fuzzy fly eater scurrying around the store... how'd it even get out?"

He threw up his arms. "I have no clue! This isn't the first time she's gotten out, either! No idea how she does it."

-Wow, this dude is getting outsmarted by a spider. That's harsh.- "Well, if I see the little bugger while I'm here I'll let ya know."

"Oh, thank you..." he said, looking relieved. "Please excuse me."

The clerk scampered off to another part of the fairly small pet store, checking shelves and in cages to find the wayward arachnid. Meanwhile I just looked down at Koro.

"So what're you looking for?" I asked.

He yawned, then slowly lead me over to the dog toys. It didn't take him long to bark and start trying to get at one with his paw. It was a squeaky toy, looked like some kinda white cyclops thing with a yellow stripe across its chest.

"This what you're after?" I asked.

He bobbed his head a few times and started panting.

"Alright then..."

I reached for the toy, but once I had hold of it I felt something fuzzy touch my hand. For a split second I thought it was the toy next to the one I'd grabbed... but then there was the unmistakable feeling of something crawling over my hand and then up my arm. Especially unmistakable because it was, in fact, a large spider. Most likely the one the clerk was looking for.

"Well, that was unexpected..." Pharos commented. "I guess it likes you?"

I shrugged with the shoulder that didn't currently have something perched on it. -Apparently.-

Koromaru didn't seem to mind the spider chilling on my left shoulder as we headed up to the counter, where the clerk from before and another lady, presumably his boss, were talking.

"Excuse me..." I called out as I approached, then indicated the spider on my shoulder. "Is this yours?"

The two clerks stared at the spider.

"Y-You found it!" Said the guy clerk. Magician Arcana now that I'm actually paying enough attention to the guy. "Where was it hiding?"

I held up the toy Koro wanted. "Behind this. Crawled up my arm and has been sitting there happy as a clam ever since."

"Really?" asked the other clerk. Priestess Arcana. "That's a first..."

"How so?"

"Normally that one likes to pop out and startle customers." she said. "This is the seventh time she's gotten out, but the first time she's seemed to like anyone..."

-...Hrm.- "...I have a question."

"What?"

"How much would it cost to buy our little friend here?"

* * *

><p>So yeah, I now have a pet red-knee tarantula. I named her Mira, and she doesn't seem to want to get off my shoulder. So I've got stuff for an enclosure for said spider, also food, being carted back to the dorm with me. Koro, meanwhile, has his new toy in his mouth and is just content as can be as he trots alongside me and Pharos.<p>

"At least all the stuff for her fits in the tank..." Pharos noted.

-Yeah, true...- I admitted, adjusting how I was carrying the modestly sized glass fish tank Mira was going to be living in. -Hopefully she won't make repeated escape acts at the dorm...-

"Maybe you could train her?"

I gave Pharos a look as I stopped at the steps to the dorm. -Train a spider?-

"Dude, you, me, Aigis, and Koromaru are living proof proof anything is possible." he countered.

-Touche.- I though, going up the steps and opening the door to the dorm. "Hey guys, I'm back..."

"Where've you-" Akihiko's question was then cut off by the most shrill, ear piercing and feminine screeching noise I've ever heard in my entire life and I say that after having heard Yukari scream POINT BLANK in my ear way back in June.

I looked over in the direction of Akihiko, very much aware that Mira just skittered down my arm and into the glass tank VERY quickly. The scream must've spooked her.

"...What the fuck was that?" I asked in blatant English, noting that Akihiko was now hiding behind Shinjiro who was very clearly trying to not bust a gut. AGAIN.

"IORI!"

My head snapped towards the stairs that Mitsuru was currently storming over from.

"What did you do to Takeba this time?" She demanded, crossing her arms and huffing.

Shinjiro just fell to the floor beside himself in laughter as Yukari and Junpei stared at Mitsuru like she'd grown another head.

"That was Akihiko-senpai..." They said in unison, pointing at the boxer now hiding behind the couch.

Mitsuru blinked, then looked at where Akihiko was hiding, then over at me with the glass tank under my arm.

"...Fortune."

"First off, Koromaru wanted a new toy." I said, indicating the dog who was now seated by the TV contently gnawing on his new plaything, getting a few loud 'squeaks' out of it. "Second, coming back with a large spider was not a part of that original plan-"

Akihiko yelped and ducked completely behind the couch. Shinjiro still couldn't stop laughing, but I could vaguely hear words that sounded like 'Mitsuru thought it was Takeba' between guffaws.

"Spider?" Mitsuru asked, her visible eyebrow arching with interest.

"Yeah, this little lady here in the tank." I said, holding it up a bit. "She decided she likes to perch on my arm after having somehow escaped her enclosure are the pet store, so I figured 'what the heck' and bought her."

"Seriously?" asked Hamuko as the rest of SEES sans the two currently incapacitated with terror and mirth upperclassmen huddled around me. "Ow wow, she's big..."

"Interesting..." noted Aigis. "I did not know arachnids could classify as a 'pet'..."

Mitsuru gave Mira an intense look before shifting her gaze back to me. "You ARE aware that Akihiko is arachnophobic, correct?"

"I am now." I replied. "But, the clerks at the store assured me that Mira here is harmless. She's big, sure, but she's only a threat to bugs and stuff as long as you don't startle her like Akihiko apparently did, otherwise she's super docile."

"...I see." she said. "Well, so long as you can keep track of it, I see no problem with allowing your new friend to stay."

"WHAT" Akihiko shouted. "Are you-"

"Shut up!" I hissed. "Or do you WANT the spider to bite people because you're yelling?"

Akihiko shrank back down behind the couch at that.

"I'll keep her in my room and do my best to keep her outta your hair, Akihiko." I told him. "So chill, dude. I doubt she can make any escapes like she apparently did at the store..."

"Wait what?" asked Ken, looking up at me.

"Apparently she escaped her cage like seven times at the store." I said casually as I headed for the stairs, Aigis following me with a look of curiosity on her face. "And she liked to startle customers."

I heard what likely could be described as manly fainting noises and then a thud from behind me, followed by a few variations of 'Akihiko-san!' being called out as Shinjiro's laughing intensified.

* * *

><p>A little while later, after getting Mira all set up in her tank that I opted to set on my desk, Pharos and I departed to go check on Chidori at the hospital. See how she was holding up after the scare a little while back.<p>

"Hey." I greeted casually as I slid the door shut behind me. "How's it going?"

Chidori glanced up at me from her sketchbook. "...Well, I suppose."

"That's good." I said, reaching towards my coat pocket only to feel something fuzzy sticking out. "Wait, what the-?"

I moved my hand away a little and Mira crawled out of my pocket and onto the back of my hand.

"...Frig, how the hell did you get in there?" I asked the spider.

"Where did you get that?"

I looked up at Chidori, and she seemed absolutely fascinated by the giant tarantula on my hand.

"Pet store earlier..." I replied. "Apparently she managed to sneak out of her cage and into my coat before I left the dorm."

Mira tapped her front-most legs a few times against my hand, as if she was proud of herself for outwitting the giant she was perched on.

"...Can I hold her?"

I blinked, then shrugged. "Sure... but if some doctors show up we'll probably want to hide her."

Holding my arm out towards Chidori, she carefully reached out to Mira. Again, as if she knew what was going on, the spider skittered off my hand and onto Chidori's once it was close enough.

"Hehe..." she giggled. "Softer than she looks..."

"I know, right?" I chuckled. "Just uh... don't get loud and if she starts hissing just stop doing stuff. Red-knees like Mira can bite, but they're very docile unless spooked."

Chidori nodded, slowly moving her hand around to inspect the arachnid perched upon it.

"...You like spiders, Chidori?" I asked.

"I find them..." She paused for a moment, like she was thinking of what word to use. "...Inspiring."

"Huh... well, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised." I commented. "I mean, everyone at the dorm except Akihiko didn't have a problem with her."

Chidori looked at me. "What'd he do?"

"Scream the most shrill, feminine screech I've ever heard in my life." I said. "Mitsuru-senpai thought it was Yukari until told otherwise by like three people."

She giggled again, smiling softly as she looked back at Mira. "I suppose everyone is full of surprises, then... I suppose I like spiders because I feel a connection with them. The way they spin their webs so gently, so elegantly... I wish my art had passion like that. All I do is make scribbles..."

I crossed my arms. "I'd say your art is great, but I've never even any of your drawings."

"...Really?" She asked, glancing up at me.

"Really." I said. "I mean, I sketch in my free time if I don't write stuff that comes to mind..."

Chidori hummed. "...I suppose another artists opinion couldn't hurt..." A frown crossed her face and she suddenly looked around the room.

"...What's wrong?"

Her gaze eventually settled on Pharos. Like not in his general area, she was staring right at him.

"...Chidori?"

"What is that...?"

Eyebrow. "What's what?"

"The presence Medea is sensing..." she replied, making a confused face. "It's strange... worrying, even... but at the same time, it feels... kind. Harmless, even."

I glanced at Pharos, who did the same to me.

-Dude, she knows you're there...- I noted. -That's... new.-

"No shit..." he replied. "But... maybe it's a good sign? Like I'm getting better or something?"

-Who knows.- I thought, looking back at Chidori. "You noticed it before?"

She was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "It was fainter then, but... I've noticed it around you before. Why?"

I shrugged. "No idea. Nothin' there as far as I know."

"What, no ghost buddy story?" asked Pharos, with a mockingly hurt sounding tone.

-She's already in the hospital and dealing with running crazy drugs out of her system. Figure I'd spare her at least a little of my insanity.-

"Fair enough."

"I'm sorry."

Eyebrow. "What for?"

"Mentioning that." She said, letting Mira crawl onto her other hand. "For as long as I can remember, I've always... sensed odd things wherever I go. I suppose I've gotten so used to it I usually can tune it out."

"So what, Medea could scan even before you awoke her?"

She shrugged. "I guess so... ever since I've been here, though, I've noticed things I never paid attention to before."

"How so?"

"Little details about things, mannerisms people have. Simple things, really." said Chidori. "I never noticed before because... I'd taken those pills..."

I winced. "Good thing we got you off those, then. Shame we don't know who's still making the damn things."

Chidori sighed. "I know we got them from someone, but... my mind is foggy when I try to remember them."

"Fuzzy images and muffled voices sort of thing?"

"Yeah..." she replied. "You know, you're odder than you think you are."

-Eh?- "What cha' mean?"

"You don't feel like any other Persona User I've met." she said. "And I'm not talking about the... Eight Personas I can tell are with you right now. It's something else..."

"Think she's talking about me again?" asked Pharos.

-Or maybe the psychic link thing we have.- "Any idea what?"

She shook her head. "No... but it doesn't feel threatening. I suppose you shouldn't have to worry about it..."

"Still, I appreciate that you mentioned it." I said. "Knowing the full extent of my own crazy is kind of a priority."

Chidori giggled, holding Mira out towards me. "I can imagine it would be."

**CRASH**

-Sweet, now shut up Temperance.-

"Of that, I have no doubt." I agreed, letting Mira skitter onto my arm again.

* * *

><p>I chatted idly with Chidori for a little while longer before heading off. Perfectly timed too, since Junpei showed up to visit her at that point. Also, I'm still surprised how intelligent Mira seems to be. Like, Koromaru was one thing on account of being a dog, but a spider with the level of smarts it appears to have? That's a whole other story... still, pretty cool. Of course, I had to be careful not to squish her while she was in my pocket on the way back to the dorm. This proved to be a bit harder than I anticipated when I had an encounter I wasn't expecting.<p>

"Hey, you! Red!"

I turned around and, to my surprise and moderate terror, that Hito-Shura guy was walking towards me. Naoki if my memory isn't failing me about his real name.

"Yes?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"You can start by telling me what was up with that screaming almost a week ago." He said. "I nearly thought a portal to Hell itself had opened up."

I blinked. "...Screaming?"

"Yeah, in the... Dark Hour." said Naoki. "Why could I hear that in my head? And is that girl okay?"

-...Well, so much for the powerful half demon not being perpetually Dark Hour sensitive.- "It was indiscriminate on her part. Some goons were after her and she freaked out. I don't even think she knew she'd screamed both out loud and psychically at the time."

He sighed and crossed his arms. "Goons?"

"Y'know how me and the dog can summon things?"

"Yeah... Personas, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, well... turns out there's assholes who want to keep the Dark Hour going and have their own. We caught one, but... turns out she wasn't actually helping them very willingly. They tried to mount what they probably considered a rescue, but... yeah, didn't end well for 'em. One summoned their Persona and used it to make a get away."

Hito-Shura hummed. "Well, that'd explain the thing I saw out my window about twenty minutes later..."

"You saw them?"

He shrugged. "I guess? It was some weird, gray skinned thing with giant wings growing out of its back and carrying a couple of dudes around."

"Did one of them look like a hippie and did the other have a green jacket and briefcase?"

"I saw the briefcase yeah, but I couldn't make out their clothes." He said. "But... man, if this shit is gonna be a regular thing with you guys, I want the whole story up to now. I know I can't really do much without possibly killing one or more of you by accident, but..."

I offered a sympathetic smile. "Sitting around doing nothing while simultaneously not having a single clue what you're letting a bunch of teenagers get into is bugging you?"

Naoki nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, let's find a bench somewhere. This is gonna take a while..."

* * *

><p>Found a bench and we got to talking. Had to let Mira out of my pocket, but she seemed content to sit on my shoulder. If someone started walking past, she skittered out of sight. Damn smart spider. Eventually, Naoki had a condensed version of the entirety of what SEES had been up to since April. Omitted details included the more personal stuff I knew, such as the fact Yukari's dad was part of why the Dark Hour is a thing for example.<p>

"Shit, you kids are in deep..." Naoki commented. "But... you really met the Fredricksons?"

Eyebrow. "What, you know them?"

"Yeah. I'd actually met them about..." he paused. "I think five or six years ago. I had a temp job as a mechanic for the Kirijo Group back then. Nice people, but... well, the working conditions kinda went to shit at one point."

"How bad?"

Naoki cringed. "I'd rather not say, but... well, I guess 'things went to hell' would be a good way to put it. Not on purpose, some asshole named Sheffield caused a heap a trouble. Heard he got canned for it, among other things."

"Sucks to be him, but he brought it on himself from the way you're telling it."

"He had a god complex bigger than the sun." he spat. "Kind who just steps all over people and exploits them to get what he wants. Makes me sick just thinking about it."

"Then don't." I suggested. "But... given how it's kinda established you can't really do much without, say, Loki or some such opening a portal to the Demon Realm, what good is knowing all this about the Dark Hour gonna do?"

He shrugged. "Put me at ease, mostly. And last I heard, Loki's in deep shit with Hades for pulling a stunt that upset Persephone so half the Greek and Norse pantheons are watching him. Hell, I hear they have Hermes stalking him."

I stared at him. "...Why do you make it sound like the various deities of the world exist in some kind of giant sitcom?"

"Because they basically do." Naoki laughed. "It's pretty entertaining."

"Man, I'd watch the shit out of that if it was on TV..."

"So would a lot of people, I'd wager." he said, standing up while looking at his watch. "But I've got somewhere I gotta be."

I shrugged. "Alright man. And hey, if you bump into Anansi anywhere, tell him Roy Fortune says the four pupils thing is fucking creepy."

He laughed as he started walking off. "Don't worry, you're no the only one who thinks that!"

I sighed to myself as Naoki left, looking at Pharos as Mira resettled herself on my shoulder.

"Weird days just keep getting weirder..." I commented.

"At least Chidori seems keen on talking with Junpei over the Senpai..." said Pharos.

-...Senpai...- "Yeah... but I wonder what their deal is."

"Their deal?" asked Pharos. "Well, they're all fairly charismatic in a way, Mitsuru being the heiress to a huge corporation, Akihiko looking like the male lead in a shoujo manga with the brains of a shonen protagonist, and Shinjiro effectively being a big, 'It's not like I'm trying to be nice or anything, stupid' version of the archetypical bad boy..."

"No, not that." I grunted. "I mean why why act weird around Ken."

"Oh well then you should've said that!" he complained. "But I have no idea, and I've TRIED spying on them to find out. Same with Ken, actually... speaking of him, what do you think he's up to?"

I shrugged. "Hard to say. He's hellbent on being seen as a mature adult despite his age, yet clearly enjoys still being a kid... and yet he gets tense like the Senpai do. There's SOMETHING going on with the four of them, there just has to be."

"So why not ask?"

"Don't have enough ammo to use." I sighed. "I'd need more hints from a few of 'em..."

Pharos leaned forward in his seat on the nearby mailbox. "Or just get so frustrated trying to figure it out you just give up and start prying for answers the hard way."

"Well yeah, but that's the last resort..." I said. "But right now... let's just get back. The new evokers might be in so we can finally head back to Tartarus..."

* * *

><p>I headed back to the dorm in short order, having gotten a message from Yukari that the new Evokers had arrived. I got more than I bargained for when I walked into the dorm, though.<p>

"No. No way. You are not getting me to wear a DAMN THING that isn't armor plated in that damn tower."

I arched an eyebrow at Shinjiro as I closed the door behind me, Mira now perched atop my hat. "What the hell did I walk in on?"

"Roy!" Hamuko beamed, turning towards me. "Just in time! I need your help-"

"Oh hell no, you're not dragging him into this!" interrupted Shinjiro. "I'm not wearing that shit in Tartarus and that's the end of the goddamn discussion!"

With a huff, Hamuko span back around and presumably glared at Shinjiro. It was hard to tell through the back of her head. "Yes you are, Shinjiro-san! You're not going to get me to back down!"

"I say again..." I began, talking slightly louder. "What the fucking hell did I walk in on?"

"She's trying to convince Shinjiro to wear a butler outfit." Junpei reported, reading a manga on the far couch. "In Tartarus."

Eyebrow. "Um, why? I mean sure, armor could go under it provided said armor is thin and light, but still. Why?"

"Because!" She proclaimed, spinning around to point at me. "You wear weird stuff like those fuzzy mittens of yours in Tartarus and you keep getting crates of magic clothes for everybody!"

"Um, I don't exactly get control over what the crazy blue room people give me for doing random chores." I pointed out. "And don't be hatin' on the Fuzzy Mittens of Plus Seven Asskickery!"

Everyone in the lounge turned to me and, apart from Aigis and Koromaru, asked in unison: "The WHAT?"

-...Shit.- "Look gimme a second to put Mira back in her tank and we'll get back to the discussion..."

* * *

><p>Once I got Mira back in her tank and left her crickets to snack on, I headed back down and now Mitsuru and Akihiko were in the room.<p>

"Out of the question." said Mitsuru, crossing her arms. "Fortune's... eccentric choice in weapon aside, we're not a group of costumed vigilantes for you to dress up."

Hamuko frowned. "It's still armor, though! It just looks nicer!"

"You're not gonna win this argument, Arisato." said Akihiko.

"No way in hell." agreed Shinjiro.

I scratched my neck as I walked over to where the conversation was going. "Yeah, if you can't convince Shinjiro, you're not gonna be able to win over Mitsuru with this scheme of yours."

Hamuko arched an eyebrow. "How much you want to bet?"

-...I'm suddenly very afraid.- "More than either of us could afford so let's not make wagers."

"Fine..." she said with a roll of her eyes. "But you guys haven't even heard my whole argument yet."

That drew nervous looks from everyone who wasn't Koromaru and Aigis.

"...Whole argument?" asked Yukari.

"What kind of argument, Hamuko-chan...?" asked Fuuka.

Hamuko smiled with impish glee before she sucked in a deep breath.

* * *

><p>"How the flying fuck did you DO THAT?" I asked, looking at the suit I was now wearing as we headed to Tartarus. "I mean holy shit, how long were you ranting? An hour?"<p>

"I can make very intense arguments, Roy." replied Hamuko, adjusting the maid headband she had on.

Shinjiro just grumbled, adjusting his tie. "Aki I can believe. Aigis and Iori I can believe. Takeba and Fuuka are a bit of a stretch. But you talked not only ME into this, but Mitsuru, Ken, AND Roy AND somehow found a tux for the DOG!"

Koromaru barked contently, his tail waging as he happy trotted along in his doggy tux.

"Arisato was more persuasive than I anticipated..." Mitsuru admitted, looking fairly embarrassed to be in the maid uniform. How Hamuko found one for her as much a mystery as Koro's tux.

"I'll say..." sighed Akihiko. "And what happened to the new Evokers?"

"I have them." reported Aigis, carrying a modestly sized metal box in her arms as she walked next to me. Her skirt bounced noticeably with each step.

In case it wasn't obvious, Hamuko got everyone to dress up as a butler or maid. Why, I have no earthly clue.

"Gonna hand them out at Tartarus?" I asked.

Mitsuru sighed. "...I'd intended to hand them out before we left, but..."

"This happened?" asked Fuuka, trying to sound sympathetic to Mitsuru's apparent annoyance.

"...Yes..."

"Yours is French styled!" Hamuko protested. "You like French things, don't you senpai?"

"That is beside the point!"

I heard Junpei chuckled from behind me. "Plus it looks like Akihiko-san can't stop staring-"

Junpei was cut off most likely by a left hook from the boxer, given the 'OOF' that followed. Mitsuru just seemed to shrink into the collar of her costume out of embarrassment.

* * *

><p>Once we got to Tartarus, Aigis set down the box and Mitsuru cracked it open. The results were... amusingly rather mixed. Not in terms of 'shit they don't work' but rather in design; A few were roughly the same, but others were surprisingly unique and clearly gave off the impression of who suggested their appearance.<p>

"Is that one an MP3 player?" I asked as Hamuko snatched it up.

"Yeah!" She said, attaching it to the lanyard she had around her neck. "I focus better when I can hear music, so I thought having it with me in the Dark Hour would be better for fighting Shadows."

I hummed, inspecting one of the other Evokers. The most common ones looked like slightly exaggerated wristwatch versions of Koromaru's Evoker Collar.

"Aww, man!" Junpei griped, holding a note he'd taken from the box. "They didn't like my idea..."

Aigis leaned over enough to read the note. "Their assessment of the scientists about the impractically of reaching towards your groin area is sound, Junpei-san."

"It'd be on the front of my waistline!" He countered. "Just tap it quick and bam! Persona."

"You tried to get a Kamen Rider belt, didn't you?" I asked, slipping on one of the Evoker Watches.

He sighed. "Yeah..."

"They're still right, you know."

"Man, shut up..." he pouted, taking one of the Evoker Watches for himself. "But geez... there's a lot of spares... they faulty or something?"

"Beats me." said Shinjiro, inspecting the lone pocket watch style Evoker. "Maybe it's in case we somehow get more help before dealing with the Dark Hour?"

Ken was adjusting a watch for himself. "That seems most likely... but why is there a large hairpin among them?"

"That was on the note, too." stated Junpei, holding up the scrap of paper. "Said one of the science people who made 'em liked the idea and it works kinda like Koromaru's does with the whole 'no hands needed' thing since grabbing your head isn't a good idea in the middle of a fight."

"So what, we just keep the spares around in case some of these break?" I asked.

Mitsuru nodded. "Or for some other reason we need them."

"Are you and Akihiko-senpai going to use the older evokers?" asked Fuuka, adjusting a broach-styled one she requested since, by her own admission, the gun version always made her nervous.

Akihiko grunted. "I don't see what the problem with 'em is. Mine works, so I'm gonna use it."

"I'm simply doing out of convenience." admitted Mitsuru. "I've used the older version for so long, trying to get used to a new one would be counterproductive."

"I figured..."

"Yukari, is that thing a fucking cellphone?" asked Hamuko, staring at the archer in bewilderment.

"I thought it'd be a good idea!" She exclaimed. "I mean, in case we need to call the Chairman and the Dark Hour radio Mitsuru-senpai has gets damaged..."

I hummed slightly. "Makes sense... but didn't your phone start dying on you last week?"

"Takeba..."

"Can we just get to killing Shadows already?" She complained, snapping the flip-phone evoker shut and jamming it into a special mini-holster for it that she'd strapped to her arm. "We don't have all night!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

* * *

><p>Getting used to the new Evoker was actually pretty easy for me. The 'activation' switch on it is a moderately sized blue button below the watch face, so I just had to tap it with the back of my left hand to summon a Persona. Plus it was easier to bring my hands together for a moment to do that instead of fish a handgun out of a holster. I did get weird looks from Junpei and Akihiko, since both found it odd that I wear a watch on my dominant hand instead of my offhand.<p>

I was more concerned with finding the things Elizabeth was after, though. She said two of them were in this part of the tower, so I was scouring the place for 'em and she claimed I'd know it when I saw it. To her credit, she wasn't lying.

"A pocketwatch?" I muttered, picking up the object in question off of an odd pedestal. It didn't look too interesting at a glance.

"What's it doing in here?" asked Yukari. "Seems like a weird place for something like that to turn up..."

"Despite Tartarus having confused anyone trying to research it for years, I have to agree with Takeba."

I frowned, opening the cover of the watch. The watch face had the phases of the moon on and around the numbers... and there seemed to be an extra button on it.

"The heck does this do?" I asked aloud, hitting the button. The watch face lit up... and that was it. "Really? Just a back light?" I turned towards the others. "Can you..."

I blinked. Everyone was stock still... and there was a weird color filter over everything I was seeing except for myself.

-...Shit I think I broke reality harder than it already is.- I thought, then I looked at the watch. It was still lighting up. -...How does the crazy always find me? Do I have a magnet for it in my head or something?-

I hit the button again and the odd color change vanished, and everyone was moving again.

"Whoa, Roy... how'd you do that?" asked Junpei.

Eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Move like five feet in a split second!" he said.

I blinked, then looked at the watch. "...I think this thing is more magical than me. I'm stuffing it in my pocket and we're never speaking of it again. I have to take it to the Blue Door Room anyways..."

* * *

><p>A grand total of few dozen floors and a moderately annoying Guardian that Junpei and I Fusion Spelled in the face, and I swapped out the teams after dropping the crazy time stopping pocketwatch off with Elizabeth, since it actually WAS one of the things I had to bring her. It was around that point I realized Hamuko might be onto something with these costumes; I have no idea how, but they're way tougher than most of the other gear we've used up to this point. Even Mitsuru was surprised when she saw it first hand, though Shinjiro needed convincing so he was part of the second group. Him, Hamuko, Me, Aigis, and Koromaru blazed a trail up the tower... and then we encountered another Guardian.<p>

You know those Hulk Hogan Shadows? Well...

"**HULKSTER'S GONNA RUN WILD ON YOU!"**

We found their big brother and he's kind of a dick.

"GAH!" Shinjiro grunted, reeling backwards as the swing from his hammer was repelled by the Shadow. "I can't do shit to this thing!"

"My attacks are likewise ineffective!" Aigis reported, dodging a charged, ground puncturing attack from the white and red Gigas. "It is likely resistant to all forms of Physical attack!"

I summoned Shade to throw Agilao at it... but just absorbed the fire. "Lovely, it even eats fireballs! Koro, try to distract him!"

Koro barked in affirmation, scurrying around the Shadow's legs while slashing at them with his dagger. It did some damage, but not enough to really bother it beyond the level of a savage tickling.

"**HULKSTER THINKS IT'S TIME TO TURN UP THE HEAT!"** It exclaimed, then suddenly the entire battlefield burst into flames. **"CAN YOU HANDLE IT, BROTHER?"**

I grunted as the flames washed over me, since I wasn't quick enough in switching to a fire nullifying persona before I got him. Aigis, Shinji, and Hamuko weren't quite as lucky. Koro didn't even notice because of Cerberus' immunity to fire.

"I hate this fucking Shadow!" Shinjiro shouted. "Roy, give me an Axe! Hammer ain't gonna do any good!"

"Sure!" I called out, thankful the null-fire Persona had healing skills. I had it use them as I got out a spare card with an ax in it, then kicked the weapon along the ground to Shinjiro. "There!"

He snatched it off the ground, charging up via Castor as Aigis tried to keep everyone supplied with support effects from Palladion's various kaja skills.

"Die already!" he shouted, swinging the axe right at the Shadow's gut. It blocked the swing and quickly retaliated with a fist right to Shinjiro's gut, sending him flying past Hamuko and into a wall.

"Shinjiro-san!" "Shinjiro!"

Hamuko was distracted though, pretty obviously worried about him, when the Shadow started laughing.

"**YOU BETTER BE READY, BROTHER!"** bellowed the Shadow, charging up. **"BECAUSE HULKSTER'S GONNA BRING THE PAIN!"**

With a heavy stomp of its foot, a dark purple slashing mist exploded across the room, hitting everyone. I heard Koromaru and Hamuko shouting loudly, so I think it hit them harder than it did the rest of us. In fact, I'm sure it did because the Shadow sprinted right towards Hamuko, energy swirling around it's right fist.

"**SAY GOODNIGHT LITTLE LADY!"** it shouted, starting to swing its massive arm down at Hamuko.

I heard a scream, then what if I didn't know better would say was a tiger roaring before suddenly there was a loud, screeching crash like metal scraping together and the Shadow was staggering back. It didn't look hurt, but it did look pretty out of it.

"Shinjiro!"

Sure enough, the man himself was standing in front of Hamuko, both hands on his Axe. I think he ran in and got lucky with Castor's Counterattack ability.

"GET..." he roared, violently dragging the axe along the ground as he rushed the Shadow. _"LOST!"_

Now, given what I'd seen so far, I was kinda sure that despite how cool that was, it wouldn't do anything. But as he started his upward swing towards the Shadow's chest, I noticed that there was a VERY noticeable amount of cracked flooring along the trail of his axe. What then followed was a spike of earth roughly three times as big as I am exploding out of the ground and right through the Shadow's torso, carrying it all the way to the ceiling and slamming into it. The Shadow coughed and sputtered a few times before it... melted. Not explode like Shadows normally do, it melted into black goop and trailed down the spire of rock.

It took me a few moments to find my voice. "...Holy fucking SHIT! Shinjiro, what the hell did you DO?"

"I don't..." he said between slightly labored gasps for breath. "...know... and I don't... care... it's dead..."

-Uh oh...- "Uh, you okay man?"

He grunted, falling to one knee. "I think... it might've broke one of my ribs..."

"Here, lean on me if you need to..."

Hamuko was suddenly on her feet and right next to Shinjiro.

"You're like... how much shorter than me again?" he coughed.

"Just give me your arm." She huffed, putting his left arm over her shoulders. "No complaining."

He rolled his eyes. "Tch. Whatever..."

I left the two of them alone, hurrying over to where Aigis and Koromaru were.

"Hey, he okay?" I asked, kneeling down beside her.

Koro gave a small whine.

"He is injured, but it appears to be superficial at worst." she reported. "Koromaru will likely be in discomfort for some time, yet should recover by morning."

I nodded, scratching him behind the ears. "Good. Here, I'll carry you back little buddy."

He gave a happy bark as I picked him up, since it seemed like one of his legs was where he got hurt most.

"Just don't squirm, okay?" I asked, steadily channeling some Dia into the Shiba.

Another short bark was his response, his tail wagging slowly as I stood up.

"You got grumpy?" I asked Hamuko.

"I'm still conscious." Shinjiro grumbled,

Hamuko just giggled. "Yeah, I got him. Let's get out of this stupid tower..."

"Amen to that." I agreed. "Aigis, be a dear and get the teleporter up 'n going please."

"Acknowledged."

* * *

><p>When the five of us got back to the lobby and I said we were leaving for the night, the sighs of relief from everyone made Hamuko declare they were all jerks while Yukari started healing Shinjiro's ribcage. The speed at which we got back was just further proof how much almost everyone else wanted to be out of the costumes... though really I didn't mind nearly as much as I seemed to. I mean hey, I look good in a suit and will freely admit to it.<p>

Anyways, school started back up the next day with all the festival decorations having been taken care of by the clean up crew volunteers over the past few days. The school day was a return to the more mundane sorts of things, but that didn't really bother me. What did bother me was when Aigis disappeared the moment lunch started and I couldn't find her. What I found instead was a certain pair of upperclassmen arguing about something on the roof of the school while they were eating.

"It's none of your business is what it is, Aki." Shinjiro grunted. "So just drop it and eat your damn beef."

Akihiko scowled. "I don't see why you're avoiding the question. I want to know what happened before you came down the tower last night."

"We found one of those Guardian Shadows, I got a bit roughed up in the process of us killing it." he said bluntly. "What's so special about it that you need to know specifics?"

I heard the boxer growl in frustration. "Shinji, you came down leaning on Hamuko and she kept talking about 'stone edges' the whole way back with Junpei!"

"Does it really matter?" snapped Shinjiro. "I killed the damn shadow, so lay off!"

Akihiko noticeably twitched. "Not while you're refusing to tell me what the hell you've been doing to yourself!"

"Like you're one to talk!" he barked. "Fucking hell, I didn't hear a peep out of you about moving into that dorm until I caught you with a half packed suitcase!"

"OKAY!" I said loudly, walking over and standing in the small gap between the benches they were sitting on. "What the fuck are you two idiots doing?"

Shinjiro blinked and stared at me. "...How the hell did you sneak up on us?"

"I'm magical." I replied. "But seriously, why are you two being stupid?"

Akihiko gestured angrily at Shinjiro with his elbow as he took a bite of his lunch. "He's being stubborn."

"So are you." I countered. "Why does every detail of his life matter to you?"

"Because he thinks he can do everything himself!"

Eyebrow. "And like you're any better, Mr. I Must Get Stronger?"

He turned his glare on me. "What did-"

My fist stopped about a millimeter from Akihiko's face. He actually flinched. "I didn't stutter. From the sounds of things, you're both acting like dumbasses. One because he thinks he has to do everything ever to protect everyone ever, and the other because he doesn't think he's worth the time of day to be worried about by anyone at all."

Shinjiro scoffed. "It's true."

"Oh, bullshit!" I said, turning to look at him. "You're easily THE most selfless person at the dorm, what with all the cooking and the fussing and generally being a kindhearted guy despite refusing to let it show through easily because he doesn't want people getting attached to him for whatever reason!"

He didn't respond beyond a grumble as he ate some more of his own lunch.

"Why do you guys do this to each other?" I asked. "I mean seriously, I do not get it. You both clearly care about each other to the point if I didn't know otherwise I'd swear you were fraternal twins if not at least siblings."

"I've always been shit with talking to people is part of it." said Shinjiro. "And you wouldn't be calling me selfless if you've seen the shit I've done in the past."

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch involuntarily. "I could say the same to you."

"...That and Katsuro was there to keep us from acting like this most of the time..."

I looked at Akihiko. "Who?"

"Shinji's older brother." he replied. "Kind of... eccentric, but it's easy to tell his heart's in the right place with everything he does. He used to break up arguments between me and Shinji when we were in middle school."

"Now he teaches a buncha different sword fighting styles in Tokyo." commented Shinjiro. "Still scares me sometimes with how good he is with sharp objects..."

I turned to stare at Shinjiro. "Okay exactly how big is your family tree, dude? This is like the fifth relative of yours I've heard of."

"Katsuro and Daichi are the only ones you haven't met in person." he replied. "And I don't expect either of 'em to turn up anytime soon, least of all Katsuro."

I sighed and shook my head. "That'll be an adventure when it finally happens..."

"Well, apart from Katsuro you're the only person I know of who's ever gotten Shinji to bust up laughing like that." chuckled Akihiko. "So yeah, it probably will be."

"Tch, can it Aki..." Shinjiro grumbled.

I laughed. "What, really? I somehow rank up with your older brother in terms of hilarity? How is that even possible?"

"I dunno." he shrugged, smirking. "I guess you're just magical."

**CRASH**

-What.-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Star and Moon Arcanas..._

-Wait that counted for Akihiko as well? Seriously?-

"...Shit."

"What's wrong?" asked Akihiko.

Shinjiro was digging around in his pockets. "It's gone..."

"What's gone?"

"My watch..."

Akihiko sat up straighter. "Your pocketwatch?"

"Yeah..." sighed Shinjiro, having given up on searching his school jacket. "I know I had it before I left the dorm, but now..."

"Did the chain snap?" asked Akihiko, sounding oddly panicked. "It was pretty old..."

The only response he got was a shrug. "No idea, but if it's gone... it probably did."

"Dammit... and this city's so huge, on top of the possibility it was lost in Tartarus..."

"I don't wear it in the tower, it goes in my pocket then." He said, then sighed again. Much more heavily this time, though. "...Of all the times to lose it..."

Akihiko went very quiet and I felt something in the back of my mind just fucking snap like a twig that just had a brick dropped on it.

-...Pharos.-

"Yeah?" he asked while Akihiko and Shinjiro started talking about something else.

-I think it's time for me to be a problem solver.-

* * *

><p>I ended up sticking around with the two senpai for lunch, and after school I found out where Aigis went. She apparently needed to talk to Hamuko about something, but insisted I didn't need to worry about it. Like an idiot, I believed her, but I had other stuff on my mind as we headed back to the dorm. Speaking of Hamuko, she asked why Shinjiro looked so bummed out and I mentioned he lost his pocketwatch. I kinda got suspicious when she suddenly 'remembered' having to do something, but again I didn't pay it much mind as she bailed on us. Luck seemed to be on my side, as everyone relevant to what was going through my head was there by the time Aigis and I arrived.<p>

"Okay." I said loudly as I walked in. "Senpai and Ken, we need to talk."

Ken looked at me from the table, while only Mitsuru turned to me.

"Very well, though I don't understand why you need to talk to myself and Amada..."

"Not just you and him." I said. "Shinjiro and Akihiko, too."

The two of them tensed up in their seats.

"...What about?" asked Shinjiro.

"Stuff." I replied. "All four of you, Command Room in five minutes. And Aigis, do me a favor and make sure nobody else goes up to the fourth floor."

"Why not?" demanded Yukari, sounding angry.

I shot a glare towards her. "Because as far as I know, this only concerns the people I want to talk to. If that changes, I'll tell Aigis to get everyone else."

Yukari scowled while uneasy looks were exchanged by everyone I hadn't asked to come to the command room.

"I expect you all to be there." I said, walking towards the stairs. "Especially you and Ken, Shinjiro."

* * *

><p>As soon as I dumped my school bag in my room and made sure Mira had something to eat, I headed up to the Command Room. Aigis had already taken to standing sentry at the top of the stairs, and I was actually glad to see that everyone I'd asked to come up was there when I arrived.<p>

"What is this about, Fortune?" asked Mitsuru as I shut the door behind me.

"Simple, really." I replied. "Something is wrong and I aim to fix it."

Akihiko looked at me curiously. "What exactly is wrong and how do you plan to fix it?"

"See, that right there is kind of part of the problem." I said, walking over to the seats. Mitsuru was in the chair Ikutsuki usually sat in, Ken was on one of the stools, Akihiko was on the couch, and Shinjiro was standing in the gap between the couch and Mitsuru's seat. "I don't exactly KNOW what the problem is, but I do know it exists and I'm sick of it at this point."

"If you don't know what it is, then this is pointless." said Shinjiro, sounding annoyed.

"It's not pointless Aragaki, and the four of you are going to tell me what the actual problem is or I'm not gonna let you leave this goddamn room!"

The four of them looked at me like I was insane.

"You're not serious..." said Akihiko.

I crossed my arms. "Very serious. So, let me just cut the crap and get to the point of all this." I looked between everyone quickly. "Why in the name of all that is good in the world do you three get so tense when Ken so much as BREATHES in your general direction?"

Ken blinked. "Huh?"

"All three of them!" I said, gesturing towards the upperclassmen. "Act all tense or get quiet as hell when you walk by, say something, or generally just exist. And that's without mentioning that when we were introduced to you by Ikutsuki before Summer Vacation Akihiko and Shinjiro get each other nervous looks, or when you officially joined SEES and all three of them CLEARLY had a problem with it but none of them said a damn thing!"

"What's it even matter to you?" asked Shinjiro. "Shit like this doesn't concern you."

Mitsuru was giving me a pointed stare, tapping her index finger on her arm. "And who put you in charge of the such things anyways?"

I slammed my hands down on the table in the middle of the room and glared right back at Mitsuru.

"YOU." I said. "YOU, Mitsuru Kirijo, put ME in charge of running around that fucking tower. That means I am responsible for the well being of every single sentient being in this dorm whether they like it or not. And I when I look at what goes on with the four of you, I see a situation that is going to get someone hurt or worse, and that just does not fly with me. So if you HAD wanted me to NOT put my nose into whatever the hell is wrong with you people, then you shouldn't have put me in charge OR become friends with me, because come hell and high water I will do my damnedest to see to it that everyone in SEES comes out of this whole ordeal with Shadows, Tartarus, and the Dark Hour in one piece and still breathing!"

The whole room was silent apart from my own heavy breathing. I was getting really worked up about this, but given my track record for things like this going wrong when I do nothing I can't say I'll ever find the will to blame myself for butting in like I am.

"So." I continued. "What exactly is the story here? Why do the three of you get weird around Ken?"

There wasn't a response. Everyone just clammed up, so I went to plan B: Tell spotting and guesswork.

Mitsuru first. Stiff posture, not looking at Ken, drumming her fingers on her arm. Might be trying to think of an explanation that won't name names yet still satisfy my line of questioning. Most likely had to cover up the original incident.

Akihiko. Also stiff, eyes pointed towards the ground near Shinjiro, toying with the hem of his gloves. No idea where to start, not a clue how to phrase whatever it is he has on his mind anyways. Must've had to deal with this the longest, likely related to his repeated attempts to get Shinjiro back into SEES he'd spoke of before.

Shinjiro. Stoic expression, focusing on the wall behind Ken, hands firmly stuffed into his pockets, faint fidgeting in place. Obviously the root of this, given how everyone else is looking in his general direction... -Wait, he said he'd...-

My eyes finally turned to Ken as the memory of my conversation with Shinjiro back in June started playing in my mind. Nervous, glancing between his feet and Shinjiro, trying to appear smaller than he is, something... intense in his eyes whenever his gaze shifts to Shinjiro. -...Then that'd mean...-

I hummed quietly. "So the illusions of the Moon stir the Just Devil..."

"Pardon?"

"It's Ken, isn't it?" I asked, ignoring Mitsuru to look at Shinjiro. "He's the kid. The one you talked about when we chatted back in June."

Shinjiro tensed up.

"What're you talking about?"

"Okay so this might come as a surprise to everyone who's not Shinjiro, but back when we were investigating that 'Ghost Story' that turned out to be related to Fuuka being trapped in Tartarus on the Saturday before the Operation, Yukari wanted to investigate the back alley at Port Island Station." I said. "So she recruited me, Hamuko, and Junpei to go with her. I kind of insisted on it since I didn't trust her to not potentially get hurt given how unconcerned she sounded about going back there."

Mitsuru's eyes narrowed. "And we were not informed, because...?"

"Well this was back in June when I'm almost positive Yukari didn't trust you as far as I could throw you." I stated. "Seeing as we still didn't have the whole story at the time, but that's not important. What is important is the fact that, at the back alley, Shinjiro appeared from the ether and saved our asses by smashing a motherfucker in the head with his own, leading to him and all his thug friends running away with their tails between their legs. Of course, he naturally told us to not come back... but I showed up the next day anyways."

"Why?" asked Akihiko.

"I'll admit, I was curious as to why some random guy with a Persona who clearly knew about SEES was just sitting on his ass doing nothing." I replied. "So I went back and pestered him, got a hyper abridged version of what I assume is what actually happened. Shinjiro's Persona went berserk and someone paid for it with their life..." I turned my gaze to Ken. "...That someone being Ken's mom."

The room was silent again, though I could tell Ken was trembling in anger while Shinjiro couldn't bring himself to look at the kid.

"Which now begs the question: Did Ken know before just now?"

"Yes."

And then all eyes turned to Ken.

"...It was a few months ago." he said, still shaking. "I came out of the manga shop at the Iwatodai strip mall, and I overheard Akihiko-senpai talking with Shinjiro-san. I didn't get it... until he said it was two years ago and that Shinjiro-san was always staying around the back alley until this past June..."

I glanced at the two in question. A look of pure horror was stealing coming over Shinjiro's eyes.

"...Shinjiro-san... He said... he said it didn't matter." Ken continued, trembling harder now. "That it was his fault. That it didn't matter if he came to terms with it. That he just wanted to forget!"

Ken suddenly shot to his feet.

"YOU KILLED MY MOTHER, YOU **BASTARD**!" He shouted. "I WON'T LET YOU FORGET IT!"

Ken started to lunge, but was interrupted by my foot smashing down on the part of the table near me, bringing the other side up rapidly. It slammed into Ken and knocked him into me, and I caught him before he could hit the ground and possibly hurt himself on table pieces.

"LET ME GO!" Ken screamed, trying to break free of my gasp as I took a few steps back. "HE HAS TO PAY! HE HAS TO PAY FOR WHAT HE DID!"

"What the flying fuck do you think I was taking those goddamn pills for?"

Ken stopped flailing, his head turning towards Shinjiro.

"...I had to pay." Shinjiro continued. "I had to pay for it somehow. I couldn't just turn myself in, the cops would never believe me... so I went for the pills. It kept Castor from going nuts again."

"You knew they'd kill you."

He nodded. "A slow death. It's what trash like me des-"

There was a surprised yelp as Ken suddenly found himself on the floor before Shinjiro found my enraged face about a foot from his as I tackled him to the ground. I had him pinned and I decked him hard across the jaw.

"YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO DIE, LET ALONE FOR A MISTAKE!" I bellowed "Especially not one that can't be squarely blamed on you alone!"

Shinjiro was stunned silent, looking up at me in pure shock while I'm fairly certain Mitsuru and Akihiko were hovering right behind me.

"It was your hoplophobia, wasn't it?" I asked, getting off of Shinjiro. "That's why Castor went berserk. You were scared shitless because someone put a gun in your hands and told you to put it against your head and pull the trigger. If that hadn't been the case..."

"...Amada's mother wouldn't have had to pay the price..." Mitsuru noted, sounding ashamed of herself.

Shinjiro sat up, rubbing his jaw where I'd hit him. "...Yeah."

"And you never said anything to anyone..." I continued. "Why?"

He kept his gaze away from everyone. "...Because I wasn't even supposed to join SEES."

"What do you mean?" I asked in unison with Ken.

Shinjiro vaguely gestured at Akihiko.

"He was the one Mitsuru was after." he said. "Walked up to him after a boxing match and showed him an Evoker after she let on that she knew he could enter the Dark Hour. Invited him to the dorm..."

"...And he didn't tell you." I finished for him, recalling the argument I'd heard between him and Akihiko earlier that day.

He nodded. "Yeah. So I followed him to the dorm and Mitsuru couldn't get me to leave. I saw them head out in the Dark Hour and followed 'em. They got ambushed by a Shadow, and... Y'know how you summoned your Persona without an Evoker that one time?"

"Yeah..."

"I did that when I saw Aki about to use an Evoker." He stated. "I thought he was gonna die, and Castor just exploded into existence and hit that Shadow like a bus full of concrete."

"And then you couldn't summon like that again, so..."

With a heavy sigh, Shinjiro nodded again. "Yeah."

"So what?"

I looked over my shoulder at Ken.

"So what if he didn't mean to?" asked the kid, tears streaming down his face. "He still took my mother away from me!"

My gaze hardened into a glare. "And you're the bigger fool if you think you're the only one whose lost their family to the Dark Hour."

Ken glared right back. "You don't even-"

"Tell me Ken, when your mother died, were you holding her in your arms?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Were her last words her telling you how much she loved you?" I asked, now trying to restrain myself from lashing out at a ten year old. "Do you remember seeing her lying in a pool of her own blood in the middle of a street? Do you remember telling her that you loved her too before she slipped away from you forever?"

The wind had clearly gone out of Ken's sails.

"Don't for a minute think you're the only person in this dorm whose lost people who matter to them because of that godforsaken space time paradox." I spat. Then I noticed Mitsuru was staring at my torso. Looking down- "...Oh. I'm bleeding."

There was some surprised yelling as I looked at the space just above my right hip. There was a fairly deep gash that was thankfully not bleeding too badly. Anansi's passive regeneration was likely to thank for that, and adrenaline from how pissed off I am for me not feeling it. I looked at Ken and finally noticed a steak knife in his hand. Must've been trying to stab Shinjiro with it when I hit him with the table, so he got me instead.

"A-Are you okay...?" asked Mitsuru, clearly shaken up as she obviously noticed the blood on Ken's knife before she looked at me.

I blinked. "...I'm fine? I can't... feel it. Like at all. Haha... adrenaline's a hell of a thing..."

"H-Hold still!"

And then suddenly Mitsuru had a handkerchief around her hand and was pressing it against the wound, pumping some Dia healing into it.

"Shit... how did I forget back then...?"

I turned to Aki, who now had his head in his hands.

"It's so rare to see guns in Japan that I..."

-I think he's starting to blame himself...-

"...Guns...?" asked Ken, who looked at me in confusion. "But... you said... hoplophobia..."

"Hoplophobia is the name for a fear of guns." I said. "Like how arachnophobia is the term for being afraid of spiders. Remember how I brought up fears when we were talking about the evoker changes the other day?"

Ken's eyes widened, the steak knife falling from his hand. I think he finally got what was going on.

"...So he... was scared...?" he asked. "Scared of the... Evoker...?"

I heard Shinjiro sigh from behind me.

"...Yeah." he admitted.

"But Mom... She..." stammered Ken, trembling again. Not with anger, this time though. "And... I-I have to..."

"Amada... do you think your mother would look twice at you if you became a murderer?" asked Mitsuru. "Even if it was her own killer that died by your hands?"

I'm fairly certain the weight of what he'd been trying to do finally hit him, at least from the way he took a step back.

"I..." he sputtered. "I..."

Mitsuru stepped around the busted up table, then knelt down infront of Ken and offered him a key.

"Here. You can use this to get onto the roof." She said, smiling sympathetically at Ken. "Some fresh air might help you think."

He stared at her blankly before he took the key with a dumb nod.

"O-Okay..." Ken replied before he scurried out of the room.

Once the door shut behind him, the room got... quiet. Like that awkward quiet when nobody is sure how to start up a conversation again... at least until Shinjiro went over to the knife Ken dropped and picked it up.

"I was wondering where this went..." he sighed, standing up and looking at me. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, probably gonna be a little sore in the morning but no big deal..." I replied. "You?"

He chuckled, rubbing his jaw. "I'll be fine..."

"Not mad about me decking you?"

"Heh, I guess I did deserve that sucker punch," he admitted. "At least you didn't manage to cut the inside of my mouth like Aki does..."

"What about Ken, though?" asked Akihiko. "Is he gonna be okay?"

The silence came back over the room again before Shinjiro piped up.

"Roy, could you go check on him?"

Eyebrow. "Why me?"

"I doubt speaking with Shinjiro while in his current state would be wise..." noted Mitsuru. "And... I'll admit, despite your recent outbursts being disrespectful, you've both made an accurate argument and proven you would be best suited to talking with Amada out of all of us."

I laughed. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

"Alright, if you think it's a good idea..." I said. "So I guess the meeting is over now?"

"I would think so..." said Mitsuru. "Just remember: you're going to have to assemble the replacement table once it arrives."

I laughed again as I headed for the door. "I figured."

* * *

><p>I let Aigis know that she didn't have to stand guard anymore before I headed up to the roof. Found Ken sitting on his uniform jacket on the far side of the roof, looking out at the city. Pharos was nearby, having apparently decided to follow Ken up after staying quiet for so long durring the actual conversation. I silently walked over and sat down next to him, leaning back a little.<p>

"...You lost your mom in the Dark Hour, too?" Ken asked suddenly.

"Mom and Dad." I replied. "Car accident right before it kicked in. They were both Dark Hour sensitive, so..."

I heard a small hum from him. "...I see." He shifted a little. "...I just... remember a shining horse and knight from when it happened. If I hadn't overheard Akihiko-senpai talking with him about it... I probably never would've known."

"Given how the Kirijo Group presumably covered everything up pretty flawlessly? Yeah, I don't doubt that." I said, looking at Ken. "But I'm guessing you just thought the thing was a Shadow at first, huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah... I thought if it was still around, I could just destroy it... but then it turned out to be his Persona..."

"Well, since according to Mitsuru, Personae can mutate when the user isn't exactly in the best mental state when summoning, I suppose a shiny armored version of Castor wouldn't be out of the question..." I admitted. "Never seen anything like that happen myself, though..."

"...Do you think he'd forgive me if I apologized?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure you're the one who really has to apologize... though given how he was basically killing himself for what he did? I get the feeling he would appreciate it if you forgave him instead of him forgiving you."

"...I don't think he'd feel that bad if was really the bad guy..."

"Likewise." I said. "I've had the chance to talk with him quite a lot and... well, the guy's pretty damn hard on himself about... well, basically everything. I'm not sure I can imagine what was going through his head back when it actually happened beyond a very intense spiral of self loathing. It's probably a miracle he didn't just... well, kill himself."

"I think he might have tried..." commented Ken. "It would explain the long sleeves he always wears..."

I shook my head. "Nah, there's no scars on his wrists. He always rolls his sleeves up in cooking club... though since Castor can passively heal, they could've faded by now."

Ken hummed again. "...I don't know what to do."

"How come?"

"...That was all I really had to focus on." He said. "The only thing keeping me going. Now..."

"You're not sure if it's worth pursuing, and if it's not what to do?"

He nodded. "Kinda..."

"Well, what do you think your mom would want you to do?" I asked. "Give up and walk away, or fight to save people?"

It took Ken a minute to answer. "...She always called me her little hero..."

I smiled. "And do heroes give up?"

He shook his head. "Never."

I recoiled slightly as blue mist suddenly started encircling Ken, his persona Nemesis appearing behind him.

_**'I am thou... and thou art I...'**_

-Holy shit what?-

_**'From the sea of thine soul, the resolution of thine heart calls forth new power...'**_

An orb of light formed around Nemesis, crackling with lightning several times before it vanished. In place of the black mecha buzz saw was a feminine figure clad in pearlescent gray and semi robotic looking knight armor with orange trim. A golden spear was held in each hand, though it was hard to tell if it actually had hands or not. Long, orange-brown hair flowed from under the helmet, reaching to nearly the Persona's ankles as it floated just above the ground. A short, violet scarf hung around its neck.

_**'Nemesis has given rise to Themis!'**_

I blinked at the armored Persona, and Ken seemed equally surprised. It seemed to nod before it vanished softly into blue mist. After a few moments of stunned silence, Ken seemed to let out a sad laugh.

"Themis..." He murmured. "It... it reminds me of my mom... her hair wasn't that long, but... it was the same color."

I smiled. "I'd say that means she's still looking out for you, Ken. It's like my grandmother is prone to saying; Those you love never truly leave you."

Ken rubbed at one of his eyes, a small smile on his face. "Yeah... and Roy-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Devil Arcana..._

"Anytime, Ken." I said, nudging the little kid with my elbow. "Anytime. Just make sure you stick around to get bigger, m'kay?"

He laughed. "I will, but the getting bigger part might be kinda hard..."

Eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well... I'm short for my age." he sighed. "Even though I drink a lot of milk... I feel sick after I do, though..."

-Sick...?- "Do you just drink a lot at once, or is it every time you have milk or something with milk in it?"

"I have drank a lot at once before, but even if I just have a small glass I don't feel well."

I stared at him. "...Um, that's a sign you're lactose intolerant. It also explains why you're shorter than you should be, since you won't be getting any of the stuff you really NEED from milk because of it."

He stared at me. "...Really?"

"Yeah!" I said. "One of my cousin's friends is lactose intolerant. I learned all that from him."

"Oh..." said Ken, sounding concerned. "So what does he do then?"

"Drinks soy milk." I replied. "I've had some and it's really not all that different tasting from regular milk. Next time there's a grocery run I'll tag along and see about picking some up for ya."

He smiled again. "Thank you, Roy-san."

I grinned back. "Don't mention it. What're friends for if not to help each other out, am I right?"

* * *

><p>Ken and I went back inside after that, and the first thing he did was go talk to Shinjiro. Pretty sure that ended well, since Shinjiro came down a little while later saying Ken was resting in his room, having emotionally burnt out after everything. Eventually, him and I were the only two in the lounge. Aigis headed to her room to recharge, Fuuka went to study and I think Yukari went with her, Akihiko and Mitsuru took Koromaru for a walk, and Junpei went to visit Chidori and said he was gonna check out a new arcade that opened up on his way back. Pharos had apparently decided he wanted to nap in my room or something, since he'd wandered off that way a while go. Hamuko was the only one unaccounted for among SEES members, but that certainly changed quickly.<p>

"Shinjiro-senpai~!" Hamuko sang as she barged into the dorm. "I have a surprise for you~!"

He looked up from his cooking magazine. "What, you're going to finally listen to me and stop calling me senpai all the time?"

I did my best to not laugh. I really did. Only one managed to slip out as I played Maverick Hunter X on my PSP.

Shinjiro just shot me a glare while Hamuko giggled.

"Even better~!" She cooed, bouncing over to him with her hands behind her back. She stood like that for a moment before she suddenly presented an ornately detailed pocketwatch. The pattern on the front looked like a moon over the sea.

"Wha..." stammered Shinjiro, setting his magazine down and carefully taking the watch from her. "How did...? When...?"

She swayed back and forth in place slightly. "Roy said you lost your pocketwatch, so I went to the police station to see if anyone handed one in. I recognized it from the times you pulled it out to check the time, so I claimed it and brought it back~!"

He looked at her, then he looked at me. "...You told her?"

"Well, I don't see why I shouldn't have." I replied, pausing my game and looking up. "She asked why you seemed kinda down, so I mentioned your watch was missing."

Shinjiro let out a shallow chuckle. "Ha... fair enough..." He looked back at the watch in his hand. "...Still. I was prepared for the worst, even if I hoped someone would find it... but you...?" He turned his head towards Hamuko. "You were the last person I'd have expected to bring it to me..."

She pouted. "Why?"

"Well, you're a moron for one..." He said flatly. "For two, I noticed it'd went missing today at lunch and the only people who were there were Aki and Roy."

"People can surprise you, y'know." I noted, going back to my game. -FIGHT ME, CHILL PENGUIN!-

"Still..." I glanced up in time to see him smile. "Thanks, Hamuko."

"You're welcome senpai~!"

"Stop calling me that!" He growled. "And there's another reason you're an idiot! You don't listen."

I laughed. "Neither do you sometimes."

"Oh shut up."

I paused my game again, watching as Shinjiro suddenly sized Hamuko up.

"...What're you staring at me like that for?" he asked. "Don't you have something else to do?"

Her face suddenly turned slightly red. "...No. I want to be with you."

He arched an eyebrow. "I don't see why. You can stare at me like that all day, I've got nothing for you. Haven't you wasted enough time on me? What more do you want?"

"I love you."

You could've heard a pin drop in Canada with how quiet the lounge got after she uttered those three little words."

"...Huh?" stammered Shinjiro, finally finding his voice as a blush spread across his face. "D-Don't tease me like that!"

"I'm not teasing you!" she insisted, sounding hurt that he'd suggested it.

He squirmed in his seat as he quickly stuffed his pocketwatch into his pocket. "Urgh... I mean, why would you just blurt out something like that? And here, of all places? In front of someone else!"

"I will say nothing to anyone ever." I said quickly, holding up both my hands. "I like having my spine where it is."

"Roy's harmless, senpai!" Hamuko insisted. "But if you're that bothered, we can go talk up in my room!"

Shinjiro's face got even redder. "W-What? No! I-I can't do that! I mean, you're...! P-People are gonna get the wrong idea...!"

-Too late, and technically it's not the wrong idea if she's the one confessing to you.- I thought. -So ha.-

"That just leaves your room, then."

"Y-You moron!"

I stared at Hamuko. "Goddamn, you do not back down do you?"

"Look, no matter what you think, I ain't a nice guy!" Shinjiro insisted. "I can't let you in my room. Don't you get it?"

"I know what I'm saying, Shinjiro." she said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're not gonna change my mind."

Shinjiro crossed his arms and did his damnedest to look like he wasn't completely flustered. "Too bad, no way. It's not gonna happen. You're not getting into my room, end of story."

The devilish smirk that curled itself onto Hamuko's face likely sent a shiver down Shinjiro's spine.

"Well then..." She said, sitting down and scooting up close to him. "I guess I'll just have to kiss you right here-"

"W-W-What?" Shinjiro sputtered, jumping back in surprise. "Hamuko, have you lost your damn mind?"

"Nope~" She cooed, following him. "Either I get to kiss you here in front of Roy, or up in your room where we can be all alone~"

I immediately somehow did a perfect back flip, caught my PSP in mid air, and landed behind the couch I was sitting on and held my hands up again. "I want no part of this."

"And even if he did, you need to just watch out for yourself." said Shinjiro. "Don't bother with someone like me..."

Hamuko pouted again. "But I love you, senpai..."

Her pouting seemed to be too much, because I could practically FEEL him trying to resist before he just caved.

"Idiot..." he sighed. "Alright, fine... just keep it down, okay?"

Hamuko instantly perked up. "Okay~!"

"C'mon then..." Shinjiro grumbled, getting of the couch. "Before I change my mind."

"I saw nothing, I heard nothing, and if anyone asks you both went to study." I said.

"Thanks, Roy~!" giggled Hamuko as she bounded over to Shinjiro and latched onto his arm as they headed up the stairs.

-I have no idea what to make of what I just saw.- I thought a few moments later as I settled back down on the couch. -Let's just hope they don't get up to anything noisy...-

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Hamuko is a dangerous girl, wouldn't you all say? Mwahahaha. But yes, the October 4th event has officially been kicked in the teeth and told to piss off because of how unrelentingly stupid I find it, which is another reason why Takaya's gun got taken away a few chapters back. Also Ken has an alternate resolved persona in this story, mainly because finding information about Kala-Nemi to explain exactly what the flying fuck mythology it's from without said figure looking like an even bigger asshole than Nemesis is like pulling teeth without knowing what the fuck you're doing. Themis, meanwhile is the twin of Nemesis and is more in the vein of proper Justice as opposed to Vengeance like Nemesis is as I understand it.

Also, just a heads up... chapters might slow to a halt here soon because of stuff going down in real life for me. I'd rather not go into detail, but... yeah shit's getting crazy right now. That aside, though, I have a question for you readers: You ready to Switch It Up next chapter? Mwehehehe...


	22. Switch It Up: Fortune

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**A Jack Frost Guy** - Maverick Hunter X is a game I'm fond of, as I'd honestly never had the chance to play the original Mega Man X before I played MHX despite how big of a Mega Man nerd I am. But anyways, Mira! Mira was a spur of the moment idea I spawned while working on the chapter, and honestly given how Roy's theme has basically become 'Cards and Spiders' at this point I simply couldn't pass it up. Or wait, am I accidentally spoiling things? OH WELL! And Chidori's not alone in noticing Pharos, as you'll no doubt notice in this chapter. And yes, it will have a payoff sometime.

**rsdk525** - She'll become a minor running gag for the rest of the story. She doesn't get a major appearance in this chapter, but don't you worry, she'll be back. Akihiko probably won't like it, but she'll be back! Mwehehehe. And yeah, kicking the whole Ken situation in the face was the plan from the get-go with Reshuffled. If you actually look at the entire October 4th sub plot, it's easily the STUPIDEST part of Persona 3's story on more levels than I can list.

**Delta XIII** - Oh he did, but via legit combos and not YuGiOh Abridged jokes. Hamuko is indeed a master of persuasion, but that instance was me making a throwback joke to the Persona 4 Anime and Yu Narukami's passionate, thirty minute speech about why the Investigation Team girls should enter the Beauty Pageant. Also because it's funny. And as far as I know, Koromaru doesn't get a tux in P3P like most of the other guys do. I just gave him one here because why the hell not. And no, the time stopping watch isn't actually plot important. It's part of Roy having to pay Elizabeth back for help getting costumes for the Featherman Shenanigans in Chapter 20... speaking of which, another 'artifact' he has to find for that request appears in this chapter. They're both shout-outs to the same thing, but my challenge to any and all readers is figuring out what(it's obvious as hell, tho). And YES! ACTION THERAPIST. Best description for that scene, you win a cookie. *gives you a cookie*

**Overlord Duelist** - I'm actually not 100% familiar with the Prophecy and Spellbook cards, though I'm not one for Spellcasters anyways. I prefer Dragons or, better yet, Blackwings and Gladiator Beasts. And you'll find out more about Roy's fate once updates to Norimoto Style happen! I'm actually working on the new Chapter 1 currently, so eventually you might notice all the old chapters are deleted and there's a new one up. I'll let people know when that happens so they can drop reviews for it, provided I don't just completely bork things up and have to Re-post the story. I like how its post date was the actual in-game starting date for Persona 4...

And no, I'm never gonna stop thanking **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts** for being awesome and helping me get these chapters out quickly, why do you ask? ANYWHO! I'd appreciate any support in updating the TV Tropes and its sub pages, but if you can't that's fine. And without further a do, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"So you want me to write down what happens for a little while?"<p>

"Yeah, basically. Every few days I do somethin' like that, and this isn't the first time I've asked someone else to do the same. Just e-mail me the file when you're done."

"You're making this mainly so you can believe it actually happened like ten years from now, huh?"

"...Yeah, pretty much."

"Haha! Alright alright, I think I can handle that. Do you remember what the last thing you wrote down was?"

"It amounted to me making Pokemon jokes about that erm... conversation you had with Shinjiro when you returned his pocketwatch."

"Oh okay! I'll type up some stuff and let you know when I'm done, Okay~?"

"Haha, alright."

* * *

><p>So, following my intense persuasion of the stubborn jerk known as Shinjiro Aragaki to actually get admission to his room... well, without going into details too personal for my liking let's just say I have a boyfriend now and it makes me happy.<p>

Although, I think I kinda freaked him out on our way to school...

"What do you MEAN your birthday is in two days?"

I blinked. "Um, exactly what I said? I never get the chance to have a big party these days or have much in the way of gifts, so something nice happening around my birthday is basically the best thing ever in my book..."

Shinjiro kept staring at me like I was crazy.

"What?"

"I'm baking you a cake." He said suddenly. "A really big one."

"...Can it be chocolate and strawberry?"

"Of course."

-...This is going to be the best birthday ever.-

* * *

><p>I'll admit, I was in a better mood than usual when I got to class. I couldn't stop thinking about how good the cake was going to be because it's SHINJIRO who was going to make it. I was so excited, I started talking to Asami-san at lunch since her class is right before the lunch period.<p>

"A cake?" she asked, sounding surprised and impressed as we sat down near the teacher's desk to eat. "Wow, you got luckier than you think you did."

"Really? Yes~!" I said, wiggling happily in my seat as I dug the bento I'd made out of my bag, but once I had it out, I noticed it wasn't the bento I thought it was. "Huh? Where did...?"

"There's a note on the back."

I looked and sure enough, there was. I took it and started reading.

'You need to eat more than just the crap from the student store, the cafeteria junk, and sweets. Hope you like what I made. -Shinjiro'

I had to keep myself from squealing with glee. "Best boyfriend ever~"

Asami gave me a shocked look, then snatched the note from me. She let out a laugh once she read it.

"Well that explains why Shinji spoke so fondly of you." she said, tucking the note into her pocket. "So when's the party?"

In an instant, Junpei and Roy materialized right next to us.

"Who said party?" asked Junpei, his eyes sparkling like a kid's at Christmas. "And what is the party for?"

I smiled sheepishly as I opened the bento Shinjiro made for me. "...My birthday..."

"Your birthday? What day is it?"

I shrank a little more. "...Saturday..."

"Shit that ain't long..." said Junpei, then he suddenly turned towards the door. "YUKA-TAN, I AM IN NEED OF YOUR ASSISTANCE!"

Roy laughed as Junpei ran off, pulling up an extra chair to join Asami and I.

"Well he's certainly excited." noted Roy, then he saw the bento I had. "Wait, why do you have Shinjiro's Lunch? I saw him making that yesterday."

I blinked and looked at him. "...When?"

"Before you turned up with his pocketwatch." he replied. "Speaking of which, how did your conversation with Shinjiro turn out?"

Asami chuckled. "She's dating him now, it seems."

Roy let out an impressed whistle. "Hot damn, it went that well? Shit Hamuko, you got some skills."

"Thaaaaaank you~" I chirped, finally getting to dig into the lunch Shinjiro made me. "Oh my god it's so good..."

"You sound like Kaede whenever she gets some of Shinji's cooking..." noted the teacher. "Just do me a favor and don't traumatize the poor boy. He's had it rough."

"I know..." I hummed between bites. "So long as your family shows up for the party and don't tell him you're coming."

She grinned. "Deal."

"I will say nothing to anyone of the sort either." added Roy. "I am now sworn to secrecy on pain of naginata to the kidney."

"Good."

* * *

><p>The days till my birthday went by faster than I expected, and I really couldn't stay focused in class because of how excited I was. After it was done, Junpei grabbed me and said we were going to go out and he was going to get me the new Pocket Monster game. Why he couldn't have just bought it without me knowing and giving it to me at the party I don't know ...<p>

-...Although I suspect Roy gave Junpei the order of 'distract her so she doesn't try to keep sneaking in and trying the cake'. I think I heard Shinji mention dark chocolate...-

Of course, once Junpei and I got back to the dorm with the game, I didn't hear a shout of 'surprise!' like I expected. Well, I did, but it was drowned out by one thing:

"ROLAND AND KAEDE STOP TRYING TO STICK YOUR FINGERS INTO THE CAKE BATTER!"

Asami had grabbed her husband by the ear and was bodily dragging him away from the kitchen, while Shinjiro made a 'shush' gesture as he fed Kaede a small spoonful of the batter. She giggled as she scurried away, but her eyes went wide and a huge smile came across her face when she saw me.

"HAMU-NII-CHAN~!" She squealed, somehow going from the opposite side of the table to suddenly tackle hugging me around the waist. "Happy birthday~!"

I heard Asami chuckling and looked up at her.

"Y'hear that, Shinjiro?" she asked, looking towards the kitchen. "Sounds like you're really not allowed to break her heart now. You'd make poor Kaede so upset!"

"Shut up, Asami!" snapped Shinjiro from the kitchen.

Some of the other SEES members looked around in confusion. Even Koromaru looked at me curiously.

"I doubt he could break up with her." commented Roland, rubbing his ear now that his wife had let go. "Even if he tried, she's got him wrapped around her finger."

"And it sounds like SOMEONE isn't getting any cake if he doesn't keep his trap closed!" barked Shinjiro again.

"What are you talking about?" asked Fuuka. "Did something happen...?"

Kaede let go of me and started bouncing up and down on her heels. "Hamu-nii-chan is Shinji-nii-san's girlfriend!"

All eyes were suddenly on me, but... for some reason, it didn't bother me. I just held my head high and nodded sharply.

"Yup!" I said. "It's true."

There was a slightly... creepy silence, then I noticed Yukari and Akihiko passing some money to Roy, who just looked oh so pleased with himself. I get the feeling I know what he made a bet with those two about.

"Some of that is mine, Roy." I noted.

"Oh I know." he replied, tucking it into his pocket. "You'll get your cut later."

Shinjiro poked his head out of the kitchen. "Good, everyone's here. Now somebody help me set the table, there's a lot of food in here!"

-Best. Birthday. EVER!-

* * *

><p>Sadly, Shinjiro had Roy and Aigis physically hold me in my chair at the table so I wouldn't jump up and sample everything. Of course, Roland was in the same boat, except it was Asami and Akihiko keeping him from getting up. Once the table was set, we got to dig in and food was FANTASTIC.<p>

"Oh my goooooosh~" I sighed contently. "This is so gooooood..."

Roy just gave me a look. "Contain yourself please Hamuko, there are children present!"

"Hey!"

"I mean Akihiko and Kaede, not you Ken."

"HEY!"

"Be nice, Roy." I said, elbowing him. "You have to set a good example."

"Too late~!" giggled Kaede. "Shinji-nii-san said he'd show me how to beat up bad guys when I get bigger~!"

Asami looked at him with a vicious glare. "SHINJI!"

"Would you rather it was Roland?" He asked.

She huffed. "I hate it when you do that."

"Blame him for teaching me how Green Berets beat people up then..."

"I swear, I have to lock you in boxes to keep you from trying to teach someone else how to ruin poor saps?" Asami groaned, slapping a hand over her face.

Yukari suddenly made a sort of grunt as she finished what she was eating. "Speaking of boxes, three showed up at the dorm today for Hamuko."

I felt my eyes widen on pure instinctual glee. "Where are they?"

"You'll find out after everyone has finished eating." chuckled Mitsuru. "I asked Fortune to hide them."

"And I am a fucking MASTER at stashing things in places that don't make sense." said the man himself. "And no, the answer is not 'in cards in my jacket pocket'."

I pouted, grumbling as I ate more of the yakisoba Shinjiro made and leaned my head on his shoulder since he was sitting next to me. "Lousy friends and their lousy slight of hand..."

* * *

><p>Between me, Junpei, Roy, Kaede, Roland and surprisingly Mitsuru and Aigis, the food at the table didn't last very long. I sighed contently as I sat down in one of the big armchairs in the lounge while some of the others helped Shinji, Fuuka, and Asami clean up the dishes.<p>

"Best birthday ever just keeps getting better..." I hummed, my arms crossed over my stomach. "What next?"

"Presents, duh." laughed Roy. "You wanted to know where those boxes for you were, right?"

"Yes I did!" I said, sitting up straight with stars in my eyes. "Where are they?"

He grinned. "Check your pockets."

I did, and to my surprise I found some of those Storage cards Roy uses in them. I just looked up at him in confusion. "...How did you get these into my jacket?"

"My tactics are too subtle for you." he replied simply, taking the cards. "Now lemme just get these out for you..."

Three quick movements of his hands later, and the boxes were now deposited on the coffee table and Roy slipped the cards into his pocket once more.

"Why does one of those look like it's hiding a spear or something?" asked Junpei, poking his head over the back of my chair. "And who's the sender on 'em, anyways...?"

Roy picked up one of the smaller boxes. "...This one came all the way from somewhere in London, England... from her older brother I assume." He looked at me. "Makoto Arisato?"

"Yep, that's him~!" I said, making grabby hands at the box. "Gimme gimme, he always sends something good~!"

He rolled his eyes as he handed me the box, only to yank his hand away in fear once I practically tore his arm off to get the box and start ripping it open. "Holy-! Down girl, it's just a box!"

"PRESEEEEEENT~!" I giggled crazily, tearing out the tissue paper inside. Once that was out of the way, I extracted the actual gift – a brand new, very expensive MP3 player. "YESSSSSSS! My old one was dying on me anyways~!"

"Didn't you just get one that doubles as an Evoker?" asked Ken from his seat on the couch to my left.

"That's for in Tartarus, though." I pointed out. "It'd be kinda impractical to potentially run the batteries out and then end up needing it, after all."

He seemed to think, then bobbed his head a little. "That is a good point..."

"What's the next one~?"

Yukari held up the one of the last two boxes, arching an eyebrow at the address.

"Osaka? Wow, that's pretty far away..." she noted. "And... who's Masaaki Arisato?"

"Papa~!" I squealed. "Oh oh, give give~! He said he was visiting Auntie last week so there's probably a present from her in there too~!"

I snatched the box away from Yukari and much more carefully got the top open.

"Oooh, pretty..." I said, carefully holding up one of the blouses that was in the box. "Papa did always have an eye for this sort of thing..." I shuddered. "Unlike Mom..." Looking down, I spotted a smaller box and quickly, and carefully, put the blouse back as I got the mini box out. "This is from Auntie!" I popped open the side and peeked in. "Oh, hair ribbons~!"

"I wanna see those later." commented Yukari.

"Oh you will, you get to critique later." I laughed, setting the box of clothes aside. "Now hand me Mom's gift~!"

Roy looked at me as he inspected the sender on the box. "Chouko Arisato is your mom?"

"Well, duh." I replied, picking up the long box off the table. "Auntie isn't Popa's sister, she's Mom's." With some quick tearing, I laughed when I saw what was inside. "Oh mom, never change..."

"What'd- IS THAT A NAGINATA?"

I nodded. "That it is, Akihiko-senpai. Mom's... well, she's got kinda eccentric tastes in things and she's prone to go for stuff that makes complete logical sense to her and her alone. This was probably her figuring I should have a legitimate, well crafted naginata unlike the cruddy one I learned how to fight with..."

"Where did-"

"I have no earthly clue." I said, interrupting Fuuka. "Of course, Grandpapa is kinda worse since he somehow manages to break almost everything except this one European sword he has..."

"And I here I thought my family was a bit on the weird side..." I heard Shinjiro comment from behind me. "Or maybe that's just Katsu..."

"Speaking of him, I'm surprised we didn't hear about him barging into the dorm on your birthday." commented Roland. "Or was he at another tournament with Daichi?"

"I still got a call from him..." said Shinjiro as he walked into the Lounge past me, carefully stepping over the boxes. "Said he was sorry he couldn't make it because one of his favorite students was graduating from his course."

A small box was suddenly deposited in my lap when he walked past. "Huh?"

"...From me." He said, taking a seat on the couch to my right. "Go on and open it..."

I noticed the faint blush on his face as I tore into the small wrapped gift, squealing with childish glee at the simple gift; A box of hairpins with pink butterflies on them. "Eeeeeee, thank you~!"

And then I promptly relocated myself from the chair to his lap because it's mine and I claim it. Nobody can stop me.

"I see that face you're making, Shinji." laughed Asami. "Just accept the fact she's gonna do stuff like that whether you like it or not and you'll be a happier person for it."

"Shut up, Asami..." he grumbled, trying to hide in the collar of his jacket.

* * *

><p>I got a little something from everyone else, too. I was honestly happier that they thought to get me something at all than I was about the gifts. It was... kinda strange getting to have a birthday party despite everything that goes on with us. I loved the gifts, though. Fuuka got me a new set of headphones, while Yukari gave me some designer nail polish. Akihiko somehow managed to score a ten thousand yen gift card for Hagakure and gave it to me, while Mitsuru got me a massage pillow, but she sheepishly admitted that Koromaru helped pick it out. From Ken, I got a really big plushie of one of my favorite Pocket Monsters; Eevee. Meanwhile, Roy scored me an entire BOX of YuGiOh booster packs and Aigis got me a DVD copy of 'Trial of the Dragon'. She seemed to think it was a training video of some sort though, bless her little robotic heart. Lastly, Kaede handed me a gift from herself and her parents; It was a big, cozy looking winter jacket that was almost the same color as Shinjiro's big peacoat.<p>

Of course, my excitement about the presents paled in comparison to the glee when Shinjiro said it was time to cut into the giant cake he'd made, though I was kinda sad it meant I had to get off his lap.

-I was comfy...- I pouted internally, though my eyes lit up when he came out of the kitchen with the giant cake, followed by little Kaede carrying plates for everyone. She was beside herself with glee as everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to me and I got to blow out the candles on the cake. I felt like a little kid again and honestly? It was a nice feeling.

"Alright, birthday girl gets first dibs." said Shinji, plucking out the candles and passing them to Kaede who insisted on getting to clean the frosting off them. "What part you want?"

"Oh, gimme that corner with the big strawberry on it~!"

He chuckled, cutting out the slice and handing it to me before he started taking requests from everyone else. About halfway through cutting everyone slices, though...

"Would it be alright if I had that middle piece there?"

"Sure~!" I said, taking the plate from Shinji and handing it to who asked for it. I turned away, but a few moments later I stopped, as did everyone else, and we all looked to who I'd handed that slice of cake to.

It was a tall, dark skinned man in a black suit with a spider web patterned tie and a hat that looked like Roy's, save for the spiderweb patterned band on it. His most striking feature, though? Four pupils in each of his eyes. He stared back for a moment, a bite of cake in his mouth, then he swallowed it, put his fork on the plate and took his hat off for a moment and bowed his head slightly.

"Pardon the intrusion?" he said awkwardly, putting his hat back on.

What followed was three people screaming, one in terror, one in wonder, and one in confusion, along with several confused shouts of 'Who the hell are you' or 'Who let you in here'. Akihiko was the one screaming in terror, by the way. Shinjiro punched him for it.

"If you scream like that again, I'm gonna ask Roy to hold you so I can punch you!" said Shinjiro angrily.

"More importantly, who the hell let the Spider God in?"

Akihiko started to scream again, only to get punched by Shinjiro. Again. Except now I think he's unconscious on the floor. Barring that, everyone looked at Roy.

"You know this guy, Roy?" asked Junpei.

"If by 'know' you mean 'have spoken to all of twice' then yes." replied the redhead. "Though I'm wondering why he turned up here of all places..."

Another bite of cake later, and the Spider God answered. "First off, I was in the neighborhood. Second, I wanted to say hello. Third, I like cake. Is this dark chocolate?"

"Dark... wait..." Roland murmured, then he suddenly chuckled. "Well well, I thought you sounded familiar. Been a while, huh 'Adrian'?"

And then all eyes were on Roland.

"...Darling, who is this?" asked Asami. "And why do you know him?"

"Y'know how I was in Africa while I was still in the Green Berets?" he asked. "I met a guy who looked pretty damn down on his luck after I picked up a care package and shared it with him. That would be our friend here. Said his name was Adrian Nancy."

"Also known as one of the most hilariously obvious pseudonyms for a deity ever." commented Roy. "A. Nancy, better known as Anansi the Spider."

Akihiko screamed yet again, this time getting kicked in the gut before going quiet. I didn't even know it was possible for someone to scream while unconscious.

"Shinji, stop abusing Akihiko."

"I've only hit him when he starts screaming like that!"

"We all hit him when he starts screaming like that, but don't use so much force is all I'm asking." said Asami. "Now then. Roland, Roy, introduce your 'friend', please?"

Roy made as best of a grandiose pose as he could without hitting someone in the face. "Please welcome Anansi, African deity of things that make Akihiko scream like a small child. Also apparently on a work visa from some other god for reasons I feel like I'm not sure I want to know."

"You don't." said Anansi, taking another bite of cake. "This is really good, who made it?"

"...I did." replied Shinjiro. "What's it to you?"

"Compliments to the chef is all." he replied. "Also, another reason I'm here: You lot know a man with dark brown hair and glasses, right? Is he always rude?"

That got a few confused looks... until the door opened.

"Oh, what's this? A party... who's your friend-" He was interrupted by a water balloon popping on his head. One that I hope was filled with red dye, otherwise I was certain Yukari might start screaming.

The room was silent, apart from Anansi continuing to munch on cake.

"You were saying?" asked Mitsuru.

Ikutsuki just stood there, then laughed lightly. "Well, that was certainly one way of getting my feet wet..."

"Afraid you might dye?" inquired Anansi, smirking slightly.

"He might dye trying to get his suit back to beige from pink." commented Shinjiro.

The spider god turned towards Shinjiro. "Feeling punny, are we? Sure you want to cook up trouble like that?"

"Oh god no..."

I looked at Roland and both him and Asami looked like they were dreading what was coming.

"I dunno, don't you have stories to spin Mr. Arachnophobia?" countered Shinjiro.

Anansi narrowed his eyes. "I accept your challenge, mortal."

* * *

><p>Roughly an hour later, and the only ones not busting a gut laughing were Shinjiro and the Chairman. Why? Well, the former was because he just had an hour long pun battle with a deity and WON, with said deity now leaning against a wall and clutching his sides, and the latter because he somehow found none of the puns made by either Shinjiro or Anansi funny.<p>

"...None of those made any sense..." Ikutsuki protested, having been standing in the doorway the entire time. Thankfully he'd shut the door so it wasn't letting cold air in. His suit is totally ruined at this point, though. "Not even in the slightest..."

His confusion just got everyone laughing harder. Akihiko had woken up from all the laughing and quickly joined everyone, even Aigis and Koromaru, in busting a gut. Speaking of Aigis, her and Roy were sitting on a couch together, half laying on each other as they tried to stop giggling. The rest of SEES was scattered around the lounge in various states of laugh-enduced exhaustion. Roland was face down on the table, while Asami had Kaede in her lap as they both tried, very much in vain, to not chuckle.

Ikutsuki wasn't amused. "You're all insane..."

With that, he turned and left the dorm, though now there were now probably some dye stains on the carpet where he was standing.

"Heheh, by the way..." began Anansi, finally recovering enough to form sentences. "You don't need him for anything for about a week, do you?"

"Hehe... no, why?" asked Mitsuru.

"Good, because he's gonna crash that stupid bike of his and hurt himself on his way home."

That got everyone to look at him, whether they were still giggling or not.

"What'd he do...?" asked Ken.

"My wife stopped by Japan for a visit." he said. "We ended up bumping into him, rather literally, and he seemed to be in quite the foul mood and took it out on her with more than a few harsh words."

That somehow got Roy laughing again.

"Rule number one of most mythologies..." he began between hearty chuckles. "...Never mess with the loved ones of a deity. It doesn't end well for you."

"And doesn't Zeus know it." said Anansi. "He found that out the hard way when Odin punched him in the throat for something a few years back..."

Junpei let out a loud laugh at that. "What, do gods live in some kind of crazy sitcom life or something?"

"That'd actually sum it up very astutely, yes..."

* * *

><p>The deity stuck around for another ten minutes before leaving, at which point Mitsuru and Asami started getting onto Roy and Roland about not mentioning being buddies with a god. Their counterargument of 'well what does that have to do with shadows isn't not like he actually fucking does anything besides show up and yammer before scurrying off' was pretty hard to despite, and I'm sure they were thankful for it. Roland had more points because his came with a note of 'this is the second time I've ever seen the guy' on it. The rest of my birthday was still pretty fun, especially since I got to school Junpei at YuGiOh with some of the cards Roy got me.<p>

The next few days weren't anything special, but about three days after my birthday we headed to Tartarus for the semi-routine 'Last Run' before we rested up for the next Shadow. I bring it up because something... well, surprising happened about two or three floors into the trip when Roy suddenly called out to me.

"Hey, Hamuko?" came his voice from down a hallway. "I think you should see this..."

I picked up my pace a little, since Aigis and Shinjiro were hanging back a bit so Ken could heal them. "What's up, Roy?"

"What do you make of this?" He asked, turning around and showing me what he'd found. "Quite the Undefined Fantastic Object, don't you think?"

I just stared. "...Is that the Pagoda from...?"

He nodded. "Eyup. I'm now kind of scared what this means."

"...Does it shoot lasers?"

Roy poked the gem, and a laser beam shout out the other side and blasted the wall. "...Yes, yes it does. It's also probably one of the things I have to take back to the Velvet Room..."

"You don't have to take it back right away, do you?"

He looked at me, a knowing smirk on his face. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Probably~!"

* * *

><p>So the rest of our trip to Tartarus consisted of Roy running around lasering every Shadow ever as I cheered him on. He even let me borrow the pagoda to laser the face off of the last Guardian Shadow before the barricade. That thing was way too much fun. Sadly the fun had to come to an end and Roy took it to that invisible door. I still kinda wonder what it's like in there... Ha, maybe I'll get the chance in a parallel universe or something.<p>

So... a couple days after that whole barrel of laughs went down, Roy, Fuuka, Shinji and I were in the cooking club, working on sweets. Shinji stepped outside because his uncle wanted to discuss something with him, leaving the three of us in the room. Fuuka... wasn't doing so well.

"It burned... again..." she sighed, staring at the smoldering, blackened cookies on the tray. "Why does this keep happening...?"

"You're not doing that 'set the temperature higher because logically ten times the heat means they bake ten times faster' thing again, right?" asked Roy, pointing at her with the spatula he was holding.

Fuuka shook her head. "No... I don't even know how it happened this time..."

I felt bad for the poor girl... she was great with the electronics part of the kitchen, but actually cooking? I wouldn't use the stuff as a weapon against the shadows.

Roy hummed, then checked the oven she'd used. "Holy-! Jesus, did it look like that BEFORE you used it?"

"Huh?" I asked, then looked inside. It looked like something gooey exploded in there and was caked on everywhere, even the heating coils. "Wha-! What happened to this oven?"

"What are- O-Oh no...! I hadn't noticed it was so dirty..."

Roy just kept staring. "I'm amazed someone managed to ruin an oven like this... Like jeez, the only way I could see one of us do this would be if we actually TRIED!"

"It definitely explains why Shinji said 'don't use it, I think some idiot from Chem Club put an experiment in there'..." I commented.

"Oh ho, up to the nickname?" chuckled Roy. "You certainly work fast."

"Shut up, Roy..." I grumbled with a faint blush, even if I was happy he'd said I could use it yesterday.

"Hmmm... What should we do? I can't put this stove on 'clean' without the risk of it being destroyed..."

I looked at Fuuka, who was now checking the oven for extra buttons or something.

"We got any degreaser or somethin'?" asked Roy. "We might be able to clean some of it out by hand before we turn on the self-cleaning..."

"Oh! Well, we don't know if the chemical is dangerous or not, so perhaps that might be a good idea..."

I looked between Roy and Fuuka. "Well, the only other option would be to get water and soap and try cleaning it up that way..."

Some loud humming drew my attention do the door, and Shinji was walking in looking happy. Happier than I've seen him, actually. Except for one time, but well... yeah. He looked happy.

"...Who are you and what have you done with Shinjiro?" asked Roy. "Are you an alien?"

"Ha ha, Roy." he chuckled semi-sarcastically. "Just got the second best news I've gotten in the past week or so."

Roy's eyebrow slid up. "Was the first when Hamuko said-"

"Shut up." growled Shinji.

-It totally was.- I thought with a giggle.

"Oh? What's the news, Senpai?"

Shinji hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "You guys will find out next week, but what are you doing to that wrecked oven?"

"Well so far it killed some of Fuuka's cooking so we were gonna try and clean the damn thing..." replied Roy. "But the options are either A. degreaser that might make it explode once we turn on the self cleaning or B. hand wash with dish soap and water as best we can and hope it doesn't die when we switch on the self cleaning..."

"No worries, I've got it!"

"Oh did you- HOW DID YOU GET THAT APART SO FAST?"

I span around as Roy started shouting, and sure enough Fuuka had somehow managed to get the ENTIRE oven apart and was cleaning the dirtier components.

"It's an easily assembled model, so it wasn't hard to get apart." She beamed. "It'll be much easier to clean this way."

I blinked. "...There are easy assemble ovens...?"

"U-Um... yes...?"

"Ya learn something new every day..." commented Shinji.

Roy just kept starting. "...You are the only person I know who can tell me that there are such things as easy assemble ovens. I know more than a few people who could take 'em apart in short order, but to do so they kind of well... obliterate it so even if you COULD put it back together it wouldn't work anymore."

"U-Um..." stammered Fuuka, fumbling with the heating coil in her hands and blushing. "Th-Thank you...?"

"Careful Roy, or you might just charm the poor girl..." chuckled Shinji, elbowing Roy.

"O-Oh, n-no... um... Roy-kun's not my type..." she said nervously, then she suddenly looked around curiously. "...Huh...?"

Roy looked at Fuuka after having stopped his minor slap fight with Shinji. "What?"

"...What is this... presence?" she asked. "It's... strange."

"Strange how?" asked Shinji.

"It's... worrying...? But at the same time... kind." she continued. "Inviting, even..."

Roy seemed to glare at an empty space for a moment, and it made me feel like I was forgetting something.

"Well, if it ain't hurting anyone, I guess we should just leave it be so it doesn't get pissed..." said Shinji. "But have you sensed it before...?"

She shook her head. "No, this is the first time... I think..."

"Huh... maybe it's a one time thing, then?" I offered, then I looked at what Fuuka was working on. "How long do you think it'll take you to clean that, Fuuka-chan?"

"Oh, shouldn't be too long." She replied cheerfully. "Just a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Fuuka got the oven working pretty quickly, and I was still amazed at how fast she could put it back together. The next few days seemed to drag on, even if Shinji was trying his best to not be excited about whatever was going to happen sometime after the fourth when everyone was around. The day of the operation, though, Roy headed off pretty early. Said he needed some air and wanted to stop by the shrine, and everyone else had their own things they were up to. Shinji suggested I double check all of my gear, so I was doing that when there was a knock on the door.<p>

"Hamuko-san?" came a voice from the other side. "May I enter?"

I set down the naginata Mom had sent me. "Sure thing, Aigis."

She opened the door and slipped inside quickly, looking fairly nervous. It struck me as kinda odd, but then I thought back to when she was asking me for help the week before last. She looked nervous then, too.

"What's the matter?" I asked, watching Aigis take a seat on my bed.

"...Do you remember when I asked you for assistance before?" she asked. "...I... am still uncertain as to how to proceed."

I frowned slightly. "Why are you unsure? And you didn't really mention why you needed advice on talking to people before..."

She hesitated. "...My previously stated reasons were... an exaggeration. In truth, I am having difficulty speaking to only one person in particular."

"Who?"

"...Roy-san."

I got the very intense feeling that Roy's habits were rubbing off on me when I felt my right eyebrow slide upwards. "Oh? How so?"

"It is difficult to explain..." said Aigis. "When I speak with him, it feels as though pressure is building in my chest cavity... and often times the simple thought of him makes attempts to focus on other things challenging..."

...When did I walk into a chapter of Chobits? Except with less animosity about whether or not the cute robot girl is fully sentient? "Well Aigis, I guess the 'emotional' parts of your head are starting to really kick in. Sounds to me like you're falling headphones over..." I glanced at the peg-stumps at the base of her legs. "...heels for Roy."

"I do not comprehend..." she said, tilting her head to the right. "I know that is an 'expression', but I do not know the meaning..."

"It means you like Roy. A lot." I said. "Like, in the way I like Shinji."

-I feel like I'm talking to a wall sometimes with Aigis, bless her robo heart...-

She still seemed confused, even if her eyes were a bit wider. And... was she blushing?

"...Like you and Shinjiro-san..." she murmured. "...What should I do...? I... have no knowledge of how to proceed with this feeling..."

"Nobody does at first, sweetie, I can promise you that." I scratched my chin, wondering as to how to push her in the right direction. "Well, Roy doesn't seem interested in many other girls, never mind the crazy rescue stunt he pulled for you last month..."

Aigis blinked a few times. "Rescue stunt...? You mean the act of camaraderie? I had questioned him about it, and he claimed it was his way of protecting fellow members of SEES..."

"He did?"

She nodded. "He likewise insisted that he would have done so even in the event he was not the field leader because he cares about the people around him." She seemed to blush again. "...Although..."

"What?"

"...He had noted that my desire to ensure his safety was not in my original programming." she said. "Likewise, he claimed that my intent to protect him was a sign that I..." She touched the ribbon around her neck. "...that even with this body of mine, I was as human as he is."

Well, Roy gets bonus respect points from me; I hope Aigis manages to snag him soon. "I'd have to agree with him, honestly. Don't let someone tell you that being a robot makes you any less human; we just gotta get the rest of your emotions all sorted out and you should be all set!" I paused. "...Also, if I can try to make a suggestion? Try to not talk so stiffly; you sound a lot like Mitsuru-senpai."

"...Is that a bad thing?" she asked.

"Not really, but... well, it couldn't hurt to sound more natural." I replied. "Plus I've heard a few people at school comment on it, so it'd probably best to help you keep a low profile."

"That would be wise..." she said, looking down at her feet. "I will have to practice speaking more... naturally..."

"You could just listen to Ju..." I paused. "Wait, no, bad example. Just listen to everyone talk to each other. That'll probably help a lot. And if you need it, I could help you."

Aigis' gaze rose to meet mine. "...You will?"

"Of course!" I replied with a smile. "Friends help each other, after all!"

"...Thank you, Hamuko-san." Oh god she's smiling like a little kid, this robot is too cute. Someone help me. Preferably Shinji... while shirtless...

"...Hamuko-san, why are you blushing?"

"Huh?" I asked. "Oh, um... no reason!" Curse Shinji and his well sculpted abs... nnngh... stupid sexy boyfriend...

* * *

><p>I spent another half hour talking with Aigis before she went to make sure she wasn't having any problems before the Operation. Shinji and I were checking on everyone, grumbling vaguely when the chairman showed up, and sitting together with Koromaru till it was time to meet up in the command room before the Operation started.<p>

_{I've located the target...} _Fuuka reported from within Lucia's bubble. _{The Shadow is in the plaza in front of Iwatodai Station!}_

"This will be the tenth..." noted Ikutsuki. "Only a few more left, but let's worry about them one at a time..."

"You say that, and then there's going to be two this time." said Yukari dryly. "Just you watch."

_{...Yukari-chan...}_

A groan escaped the archer. "Why did I have to be right?"

"God damn it, Yukari..." Roy grumbled in English before he switched back to Japanese. "And no puns from anyone tonight, least of all you!"

Shinji recoiled slightly when Roy pointed at him. "Why me?"

"You beat a god at making puns!" He said. "And Fortune is the tenth arcana. HAMUKO STOP SMIRKING."

I just giggled. It was a bit too much fun to tease him sometimes.

_{...Huh? What is...?}_

"What's wrong, Fuuka-san?" asked Ken.

_{There's... something coming towards the station...?}_ she said. _{I can't tell what it is, but... it has me worried.}_

"Then we should hurry." stated Mitsuru. "Two Shadows is already a challenge. A possible third might be more than we can handle."

"Let's get moving." said Akihiko. "No sense waiting around for whatever it is to show up, after all."

Mitsuru nodded. "Yes. If need be, we'll decide on a formation when we arrive."

"Autobots, Roll out!" said Roy, hopping his way around furniture towards the door and chuckling to himself. "Man I haven't made that joke in a long time..."

"Not since the last time there was an operation near the monorail, that's for sure..." Junpei laughed as we all started following him out of the room.

* * *

><p>"I wonder why the Monorail is so popular..." commented Roy as we approached the station. "Sure it's only the second time that Shadows have turned up near it, but still..."<p>

"Probably how many people pass through." said Junpei. "I mean, more people equals more snacks for them, right?"

We all stared at Junpei for a moment.

"...What?"

"...Am I correct in assuming the logic of Junpei-san's statement is most surprising because it is him saying it?" asked Aigis.

I nodded. "Yeah... sounds about right..."

Junpei just tucked his hands in his pockets and grumbled. Akihiko patted him on the shoulder as we rounded the last corner before the station came into view.

"...Why is there a giant roulette wheel here?" asked Yukari. "That... makes no sense..."

"It's the Fortune, Yukari." said Roy. "Chance, fate, gambling, blah blah blah, pick your ridiculous pun and this thing is basically an evil version of it. Question is what the Strength will be..."

As if to answer him, something flew down from atop a building and landed near where the roulette wheel was. It looked vaguely like it was a person with wings and a weapon in hand, but it moved too fast for me to tell.

"I suppose that would be it..." noted Mitsuru. "Fortune, I think it would be best to proceed with an all-out assault. The faster we can defeat them, the better."

"I was thinking the same thing." he replied, his gloves materializing on his hands. "Just pick one and smash it till it stops moving. Bonus points if rocks are involved."

"Will you stop with that?" asked Shinji.

Roy laughed. "Nope! Now let's move!"

Fuuka set up Lucia at the base of the stairs while the rest of us got up closer to the Shadows. One was a small, dark red skinned impish creature with large half spheres for eyes and a toothy grin. It as in a black suit, albeit with its clawed hands and feet uncovered by cloves or shoes, and wearing a top hat with a Fortune Shadow Mask on the front. It couldn't have been more than three feet tall, and it was sitting on the top of the roulette wheel. The wheel itself hat two separate rings on it, the outer ring showing various symbols that corresponded with the kinds of ailments Shadows can inflict along with bonus, penalty, or straight damage markers. The inner ring... had chibi heads of everyone in SEES plus the masks of the two Shadows on it. Guess with some luck we could get them to kill themselves, at least if I'm right about how it works.

The other shadow was more feminine looking. It was a tall, armored woman who fit the bill for what I'd call a Valkyrie – one of those Norse warrior angels. Armor, wings, helmet with a small Strength Mask dead center on its forehead. The helmets covered the face completely, and a large sword was gripped in its hands. Like the kind of sword Junpei would use to wreck Shadows with.

The Fortune let out a cackle as the Strength threw a ball of pink light at it. The ball surrounded the small Shadow, giving it the appearance of being in a bubble of flower petals.

_{Huh? I can't sense the Fortune anymore...}_

"It's still there, though..." noted Akihiko.

"Psh, this is one of the oldest video game tricks in the book!" said Junpei. "Just kill the other one! If it put up that bubble thing, it'll go away when we smash this one!"

"Why bother, though?" asked Yukari.

Shinji scoffed. "Look at the gremlin up there. That thing doesn't look like it could handle any one of us by itself. We'd just kick it to the ground and step on it till it died."

The Strength suddenly lunged forward with a war cry, only to be met with a left hook from Akihiko.

"Not sure this one's very bright..." commented Akihiko, only for the Shadow to surge to its feet and shoulder tackle him, then swing at the rest of us with its sword.

It was lashing out violently at everyone it could get at but... it was odd, like it barely had any idea what it was doing. It was like you gave the average shut in nerd plate mail and a broadsword and told him to fight the army of Sauron or something. It could do some damage, but... it wasn't very accurate. As I dodged one of its attacks, though, I saw the Fortune's Roulette spinning. It landed on one of the power-up icons and then the Strength mask. I didn't get much longer to look before suddenly the Strength was attacking me again.

It was a lot faster now, and it seemed like it knew what it was doing. I was lucky the naginata I'd gotten from mom was very well made and surprisingly durable or the Shadow might've broken it a few times when I had to use it to block. Lucky for me, Shinji sent some rocks flying at it to knock it away.

"The hell just happened?" asked Shinji as Junpei, Roy, and Aigis kept the Strength Shadow occupied.

I pointed at the other Shadow. "It was the roulette wheel! It stopped on the 'power up' icon and the Strength Mask!"

"So it can empower its ally?" asked Mitsuru.

"And probably cripple us..." noted Ken. "The wheel is spinning again!"

It stopped again... this time on a heart symbol and then Yukari. Nothing really seemed to happen.

"Yukari?" I asked.

"I'm fine!" she reported, summoning Io to heal the others. "Nothing wrong."

"Must've been charm, and we don't go anywhere without those crazy flowers..." noted Shinji. "HEY, MOVE!"

Everyone cleared out from infront of the Shadow as Shinjiro charged forward... only for a black and orange aura to surround him as he smashed his axe into it. The Strength easily pushed him back and smashed him in the jaw with its elbow. A glance at the Fortune revealed it'd landed the wheel on the impairment icon and Shinji's face.

"HEY, DOUBLE UGLY!"

The Strength turned and got punched in the face by one of Roy's Personas. Shade, actually! That one still surprises me, though. Every time I see it, there's more color to it or a new pattern on it.

"Die already!" he shouted, Shade vanishing and being replaced by the familiar form of that tiny Pixie persona Roy always seemed to have with him. It promptly dropped a bunch of lightning bolts on the Strength...

But things start getting kind of hazy at that point.

I just... suddenly felt afraid. Everywhere I looked, there were monsters lurking. Around Roy, around Koro, around everyone there were monsters. I fell back and started scrambling away as fast as I could. I think I heard Shinji calling out to me, but suddenly one of the monsters looked right at me. It started sprinting towards me and all I could do was scream.

And then just as suddenly as it happened, it was over, the fear was gone, and now there was the very clearly pissed off form of my boyfriend holding the Strength by the throat about a foot away from me. He didn't say anything, he just bodily threw it past where everyone was. The response was a bunch of Persona attacks hitting it, then suddenly Castor and Polydeuces appeared together.

"GET LOST!" Shinji and Akihiko bellowed, the twin Personae arcing with lightning as Polydeuces hopped onto Castor's mount and the two rushed the Shadow with a crash of thunder on impact.

"And fuck your shit you little gambling prick!"

I turned my head and Roy had thrown two arrows he'd likely gotten from Yukari at the Roulette wheel, forcibly stopping it on a purple ghost icon and the Strength mask. Purple mist started leaking out of the Strength as it stood up, the Shadow now looking utterly terrified as the Fortune was ranting in gibberish speak angrily, now throwing wind blasts at SEES from its perch.

**_"DIE!"_**

The shout from Roy seemed to have an echo filter on it as a wave of dark blue and black smoke swept over the area, The Strength screamed in terror as sword-like spikes shot out of the smoke around its feet and impaled it, the Shadow letting out a strangled choke before a finale spike went through its head, killing it. The smoke faded away.

"What the heck was that?" asked Ken.

"Ghastly Wail, apparently!" reported Roy. "Seems to kill the hell out of anything scared out of its mind. Gonna hafta remember that."

_{Ah...! I can sense the Fortune again!}_

"Kill it!" shouted Junpei as Hermes exploded into existence alongside Cerberus, the two fiery Personas launching a massive, double fireball at the Roulette wheel.

The Impish Shadow let out a surprised shriek as it barely managed to leap off the wheel before it exploded. Unfortunately for the Fortune -hehehe-, Palladion smashed into the ground right where it landed, sending it flying towards Aigis. Her response was to stand there and let it bounce off her, then slam one of her peg-feet right through the middle of its head to kill it.

_{You did it!}_ cheered Fuuka.

"Those things went down like chumps..." commented Akihiko, sounding disappointed. "I was expecting something tougher, given how few of those Shadows are left."

"Yeah, but we outnumbered them by a lot." Yukari pointed out. "Plus, well... the little one went down in what, barely one hit? It needed that shield from the big one or it wasn't gonna do much..."

"Beyond be annoying with the damn roulette..." said Roy. "But that's what cheating is for because fuck Shadows."

Fuuka approached the ground with Shinji. "I'm just glad you were able to stop it from causing more harm..."

"You okay, Hamuko?" asked Shinji.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine... thank you, Shinji."

"Tch... it's no big deal..." he said, looking away from me.

I will never forget the next few moments for as long as I live.

Shinji shoved Fuuka over, pitching forward as he did. Several gunshots rang out, and then suddenly Shinji was laying on the ground at my feet. He wasn't moving. Everyone started shouting and crowding around him. I shoved past them and started shaking him. He didn't answer, he just... laid there. I kept calling his name but he didn't respond. I was scared. I was so scared. I felt my body trembling, but the fear... the fear gave way to anger as I heard someone grunting angrily to my right. I turned my head and there was Takaya, fumbling with a small, black revolver in the moonlight. He looked up at me, and suddenly seemed nervous.

All I saw was red.

I can't... I don't know what happened at that point. I just remember being really angry, screaming something, and that the air was really cold. I think I was... running? I can't remember. All I recall there was pure, distilled rage. Rage at that twiggy, bleach blond bastard who shot the most important person in my life right in front of me. I've never been that angry before in my life. I just... I wanted to tear him apart. I wanted him to pay. All I could feel was pain and hate and the intense desire to rip the fucker apart with my bare hands and put his head on a spike. I don't know how long I was like that before suddenly a single voice rang out.

"WOULD SHINJIRO WANT YOU DO TO THIS?"

My head cleared in an instant, going from a swirling, chaotic storm of fury to a void of sheer terror. It took me a moment to get my bearings again. I was... in an alleyway. I was standing in an aggressive stance, my right arm outstretched towards a chain link fence. In front of the fence... was Takaya. With a large spike of ice millimeters from his face. I blinked. I didn't even know how I'd gotten there, much less the ice or Takaya.

"Hamuko...?"

I turned around and let out a sharp gasp. There was a trail of jagged ice all the way up to where I was standing, and Roy was beside it a little ways away from me. He looked worried and out of breath.

"...Roy...?" I choked, my throat feeling raw and hoarse. My eyes burned and tears spilled down my face. "...What...?"

"...Shinjiro's fine." He said. "He just... got knocked out. He's... alright... a little winded and with a headache, but... he's fine..."

I blinked. "...Shinji's... okay...?"

Roy nodded, walking over and giving me a hug. "He's okay. Just... catch your breath."

I was a bit dumbstruck. I barely knew what was happening. I dumbly hugged him back, my knees giving out. Roy was nice enough to kneel down with me as I clung to him.

"...Ha... Hahaha!"

"...Hamuko, just stay put, okay? I'll handle this." Roy carefully pried himself from my grip. I watched him stand up.

"Ha... can't bring yourself to do it...?" Takaya laughed. "We're not a threat, and yet you-"

"SHUT UP."

Next thing I knew, Takaya was on the ground and Roy was looming over him.

"Shut up and get off that damn high horse before you get your stupid head caught in a jet turbine you ignorant fuck." He spat. "You're not a threat. You're not and never will be. What you are is an annoyance. A little tweeting bird being really loud right next to a fairly large and potentially hungry panther trying to nap. So just back off, go crawl in your damn hole, stay in that hole, and then nobody has to get hurt. Simple, right?"

Roy started walking away, but Takaya laughed again as he stood up.

"Oh, so is the great leader of SEES begging for his life?"

Roy was back in the jerk's face in an instant.

"No." he growled. "I'm pleading for yours, no matter how little it actually means to you. Because you know what? I could have let you die right there. No ifs, ands, or buts, you'd have a become a frozen shishkebab and I wouldn't have lost a single minute of sleep over it because I fucking hate you. But no. I'm not that kind of a person. I'm not gonna stand by and do nothing while my best friend is brought down to the same level as the likes of you because you do not know when the fuck to quit. You're outmatched, out manned, and sure as fuck outmaneuvered by any single member of SEES and yet you, for whatever asinine reason, don't want to cut your losses and get out of here. Since if you haven't already figured it out, there is only one way our little conflict of interests will end; With you and that glasses wearing minion of yours lying dead in a ditch." Roy took a step back. "So take your pathetic excuse for a life and get the hell out of my sight before I use that chunk of ice to knock your sorry ass all the way to the Atlantic Ocean."

Takaya look like he'd had seen the deepest depths of hell stare him in the face with the way he scrambled away, only to hit the fence. He didn't waste any time climbing over it and bolting out the other side of the alley. Roy sighed heavily, then walked back over to me.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah... tired, though..."

Roy smiled at me. "Kinda figured. C'mon, let's get back to the others."

* * *

><p>Roy ended up having to carry my back. It seemed that I had left behind a path to Narnia on my rampage as Roy called it, so even though we wove around the place a lot, we always knew where we were going. Returning to the group, it looked like Yukari was healing Shinji, who was muttering something about a concussion and trying to reassure Fuuka...<p>

"I'm fine, really." he insisted. "Good body armor and all that..." he looked at something in his hand... his pocketwatch, I think. "...And a good luck charm."

"Is your watch okay?" asked Akihiko as Roy brought me closer.

Shinji laughed. "Yeah... just a scratch on it, actually. Gotta wonder what the hell it's made of now... Always thought it was just some kinda steel."

"Well, knowing your mom..." Akihiko trailed off. "Who knows where she got it."

"Shinji...?" I asked wryly from over Roy's shoulder.

Everyone slowly turned to look at me.

"...Is she okay?" asked Junpei. "I mean..."

"Fine." replied Roy. "I managed to get through to her before something bad happened. May or may not have made Takaya scared of me, not sure."

"He ran pretty fast for a twig, tho..." I commented.

That got a small laugh out of Roy. "Yeah, he did huh?" He turned his head back towards Shinjiro. "How's the big guy holdin' up?"

"Three gunshots to the chest and he barely felt a thing..." reported Yukari. "Between his Persona, the armor, and that watch of his, it's amazing he felt anything at all besides when he smashed his head on the pavement."

Roy winced. "How bad?"

"At least a concussion." said Mitsuru. "He blacked out on impact and only awoke two minutes prior to your return with Arisato."

"Jeez, we should probably get him to the hospital then..." said Roy. "A concussion is not something you walk off, Persona with healing factor or not."

Shinji scoffed. "I'm fine. Just a bump on the head-"

"Shinjiro Aragaki."

He froze, then slowly looked at me.

"You're going to the hospital to get checked out." I stated, glaring at him. "Got it?"

It took him a moment, but he nodded. "O-Okay..."

I smiled tiredly. "Good."

"...Hey, Shinjiro-san...?"

"...Yeah, Iori?"

"...Hamu-tan's scary when she's mad."

"...Yeah."

* * *

><p>Akihiko and Mitsuru got Junpei to help take Shinji to the hospital while Roy took me back to the dorm with everyone else. I was able to walk a bit by the time I got back, so Yukari and Aigis helped me up to my room. I passed out right after I got my pajamas on and my head hit the pillow. I was a little sore when I woke up in the morning, but I felt better after I got dressed and everything. I was a bit bummed Shinji wasn't there to cook breakfast, and even then, I made a note to visit him after school... but I was surprised to hear someone messing around in the kitchen when I got downstairs.<p>

"Who's...?" I muttered, poking my head in the door. "...Roy?"

"Yo!" He said over his shoulder, plating an omelet. "Hungry?"

I stared for a moment. "What are you...?"

"Well, Shinjiro's not around to cook up breakfast like he's so fond of doing, and I figured you'd probably be pretty damn hungry, so..." He said. "Yeah, I'm makin' food." He offered me the omelet he'd just put on a plate. "Want one?"

I smiled, taking the plate and setting it on the counter before giving Roy a hug.

"Whoa...! What's this for?" He asked, sounding a little confused.

"Lots of stuff." I replied simply. "But... mostly for you stopping me."

Roy let out a small chuckle and hugged me back. "Anything for a friend, Hamuko."

* * *

><p>"Oh, by the way Roy..."<p>

"Yeah?"

"I was gonna finish up that thing you asked me to do after I get back from checking on Shinji after school."

"Oh sweet, thanks for letting me know. Wasn't too hard, was it?"

"Not really. Way more fun than homework, too."

"Ha! I'll bet."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Interesting look into the mind of Reshuffled's Hamuko Arisato, huh? And to clarify, the dialog at the start and end of the chapter is technically 'real time', in that it's not written down in-universe; it's just Roy and Hamuko talking. ANYWAY, for people who might be wondering what the hell was up with Hamuko going nuts and nearly impaling Takaya's face... well, you'll hafta wait till next chapter for the full story. Mwehehehe.

Also, a few minor things I feel like putting out to clarify stuff: Resolved Personae are a teeeeeny bit different this go around, partly due to better character interactions and also partly due to less stupid ideas on my part. One minor detail with them? Unique Colorization on Skills! Why? Because why not, duh. Ken's is Yellow-Orange, while Koromaru is Red/Black. Also, for the curious about Themis, it resists Electricity, nulls light, and is weak to darkness. And with Shinjiro suddenly busting out Earth skills, he has the 'Tera' line of spells from Digital Devil Saga, albeit slightly modified in that they run off his Strength instead of Magic and hit everything like a bus because there aren't actually any enemies in Persona 3 that resist Earth since it's not an element actually in the game! Why can Shinjiro use it then? Because he's Shinjiro motherfucking Aragaki, that's why.

Anywho, I'll see you guys next chapter(whenever it comes out) with the aftermath and you'll find out what Shinjiro was so excited about during that Cooking Club scene. Mwehehehehe...


	23. Surging Resolve

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Delta XIII** - NEVER WILL I STOP. MWAHAHAHAHA!

**rsdk525** - As I've mentioned before, if you actually break down the entire October 4th sub plot it's just layers of stupid held together by complete idiocy. Takaya's revolver being one of the worse parts, since if Shinjiro were shot by that in reality he'd have been lucky to still have a torso. And there's foreshadowing all over in that chapter, not just with the Birthday scene.

**Astrih Konnash** - Mira doesn't get a return appearance till the next chapter sadly. She's an off and on little thing for shenanigans. The school trip to Kyoto might be amusing because of her. Mwehehehe...

**We Thought It'd Be Funny** - I think I did best with the characters in this chapter in a few scenes. I might mention them in the author notes, but thank you! I'm glad I'm doing well with this story.

**Overlord Duelist** - That would've caused problems. Not because Takaya's dead, but because it'd screw up her head because she'd have snapped out of her berserk rampage to find she just skewered a dude through the head. And that's bad. Takaya's fun ends with the Hanged Man, but you'll find out about that in a few chapters.

Another big thanks to **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts**, who may as well be credited as the co-author at this point. She's great and awesome and stuff. Anywho, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Before I really get into the main part of this entry, I feel like it's important, at least for the sake of having this info written down somewhere, covering what the hell was up with Hamuko on the fourth. I'll start by covering what happened once she spotted everyone's least favorite shitless moron.<p>

"You!" Hamuko bellowed, grabbing her evoker and turning towards him. "YOU DID THIS!"

A violent, screeching crash sounded as her Persona exploded into existence... but something was very, very wrong. Its normally pristine appearance was now marred; battered, torn clothes, unkempt hair, and more than a few cuts and wounds visible on it. It looked... feral.

"I'LL END YOU!" she shrieked, her Persona echoing her as a very disturbing purple aura started radiating off of them both. The temperature dropped, and spikes of ice suddenly started shooting up from the ground and towards Takaya. Idiot at least had the sense to start running at that point.

"THERE IS NO ESCAPE FOR YOU!" roared Hamuko, tearing off after him with Thalia right behind her. She left a trail of jagged ice behind her.

"Everyone who can heal, work on Shinjiro!" I barked. "Now! I'll go after Hamuko! Aigis, Junpei, Koro, stand guard incase the Bomb Squad jackass is hiding around nearby!"

I got sharp nods as everyone scrambled to get into position or start healing while I hauled ass after Hamuko with Pharos.

"Roy, do you know what that was?" he asked as we followed the trail of ice and the sound of Hamuko's enraged screaming.

"No, but I think we've officially seen what happens when a Persona User hits their breaking point and goes postal!" I replied. "We gotta stop her and quick!"

"HOW?"

"A Null Ice Persona for starters!"

"No shit!" shouted Pharos as I ducked under one of the larger jagged spikes of ice Hamuko had left in her wake.

I was starting to catch up, since I could hear the spikes being created and Fuuka was able to guide me around and update me on Shinjiro's status. The shouting was hard to understand accurately, but really what's there to understand about extreme anger? Plus I was kind of more focused on stopping my friend from committing murder anyways. I finally caught up to her when she'd created a giant ice spire, slowly turning her head towards an alleyway.

"Hamuko!" I shouted. "Hamuko, answer me!"

She glanced in my direction, before she and Thalia rushed into the alley with a feral scream.

"Hamuko, no!" I yelled, sprinting towards the alley with everything I had left. "No! This isn't you!"

I barely had time to think before I just shouted the first thought to come to mind. Based on what Hamuko gave me, whoever's reading this already knows how things end from here. Takaya is damn lucky I was more worried about Hamuko or I'd have just knocked his teeth out of his head and dragged his unconscious body to the police. Mitsuru also made me swear to pester the 'experts' about what happened to Hamuko the first chance I got before I took her back to the dorm. I'm just glad she was able to move the next morning when I made her breakfast. We got to talking at lunch about what'd happened.

"So literally all you remember is getting pissed and then next thing you know, you've almost made a jerkcicle?" I asked. "That's... concerning, to be honest."

"You're telling me..." she sighed, poking her food halfheartedly. "...I just remember wanting to strangle him..."

I hummed. "I think this is something new, since the only time I recall not remembering anything while going on a crazy rampage was when I used Berserker way back when..." -Say, that gives me an idea...- "I think maybe I should start compiling a list of crazy Persona User stuff we've seen at this point. Might be a good idea for future reference..."

"Well, there's only one Shadow left before the Dark Hour's gone..." noted Hamuko.

I shook my head. "They had to get Shadows from somewhere before the Dark Hour was a thing, but even if we don't end up fighting Shadows at all after next month, it'd still be nice to have the info on hand and not forgotten in the back of somebody's head."

"True..." she admitted, finally eating another bite of her lunch. "And... Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you come with me to check on Shinjiro after school?" she asked. "I'd ask Akihiko-san, but..."

"It's Akihiko?"

She nodded.

I chuckled. "Sure, I'll come with ya. I was gonna swing by Chidori's room and say hi anyways."

* * *

><p>So Hamuko and I headed to the Hospital after school with Junpei. He headed straight for Chidori's room, no surprise, while Hamuko and I walked in on something... surprising.<p>

"Welcome, my street fighters! we have a new challenger among us; Captain Meathead McProtienboxer!" exclaimed an unfamiliar voice from an equally unfamiliar person standing next to Shinjiro's bed.

"PAHAHAHA! Damn it, Katsu-!" Shinjiro clearly seemed to be having trouble stopping the laughter."We're... pffffft... In a hospital...!"

"Bah, such a place of doom and gloom needs some laughter once in a while!" chuckled 'Katsu' with a grin. "And you don't laugh nearly as much as you should; I'm sure your lovely lady adores your smile."

"...Should we come back later?" I asked, not knowing what Hamuko was making of the situation currently. "Or are you busy killing him with laughing gas?"

Katsu turned around. Tall, dark haired guy with one of the friendliest expressions I've ever seen on another person plastered on his face. "Ah, hello there! Friends of my brother, I presume?"

"Well I am at least." I said, then I gestured towards Hamuko. "She's dating him."

"Ah, so this is the lovely Ms Arisato my dear Aunt has mentioned!" he exclaimed, his voice still bombastic as Shinjiro steadily started to stop laughing his head off. "She certainly lives up to her reputation." He bowed slightly. "A pleasure to meet you, I am Katsuro Aragaki. I do hope my dear brother hasn't been too much trouble."

Hamuko giggled. "He keeps saying I'm the troublemaker."

"Haha, That's Shinjiro for you." replied Katsuro.

"What brings you here, though?" I asked. "If you don't mind saying."

"Our grandfather and I came to visit him, but we weren't expecting him to be in the hospital for his fourth concussion, however..." he glanced at his bedridden younger brother. "It seems that I've been lax in making sure he stays out of too much trouble, so that's shame on me, I suppose."

I looked past Katsuro at Shinjiro. "So why did you never tell us you were related to a talking ham?"

"Technically Asami did that for me." he grunted. "But, Katsu... Daichi's here?"

"But of course!" said Katsuro. "It was his idea to come visit in the first place as a matter of fact. He requested I visit you first, however. Apparently an old friend is in town."

"Old friend...?" murmured Shinjiro. "Which one? He's got a dozen."

The elder Aragaki brother shrugged. "He didn't say the name, only that they were apparently in town to visit their grandson."

"Leave it to Daichi to wax sentimental. Still, be nice of him to visit when he gets the chance..."

-...Why do I feel like I know that name?- "Well, how you holding up, Shinjiro?"

"I'm perfectly fine." he said gruffly. "I don't need to be here, but no... Mitsuru insisted I'm to stay in bed for at least a week."

"You got a concussion and took three bullets to the chest!" exclaimed Hamuko. "If Mitsuru-senpai didn't insist I was gonna have a few words for her!"

"Wait, what?" interrupted Katsuro, his mirthful tone gone. "He was shot?"

"Last night." I said, focusing on Katsuro. -Masakado, Chariot Arcana. Prolly safe to blather about Dark Hour stuff around him.- "Enemy Persona User tried to gun down another member of our group, he put himself in harms way." I pointed at Hamuko. "She nearly made a murder Popsicle out of the bastard in a blind rage."

Now Shinjiro was the one who looked concerned. "She did what?"

"She went berserk and nearly killed the jackass who shot you." I repeated. "I had to invoke your name just to stop her, and thankfully I managed to do it in time..."

Shinjiro's gaze shifted to Hamuko, who'd now scooted past Katsuro and was clinging to him as tight as she could without possibly hurting him.

"...I was so scared..." she said, sounding choked up.

I nudged Katsuro. "We... might wanna give them a minute, yeah?"

Katsuro nodded. "I agree. I'll wait outside for now..."

"I'm gonna go check on Chidori, so I'll catch you later..." I said as the two of us slipped out of the room. We stood quietly in the hallway for a second before one of us started talking.

"She seems nice." commented Katsuro. "Mother was fairly protective of our father as well." He glanced over his shoulder at the door, a small smile on his face. "...It puts me at ease to know he found someone like that."

Eyebrow. "Even if she nearly put a fifteen foot wide spire of ice through a guy's head?"

"Keyword 'nearly'." He noted, looking at me. "And besides, you stopped her. What's your name, anyways?"

"Roy Fortune." I replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." he said with a smile. "I take it you're the 'Atomic Redhead Nutcase' Aunt Asami spoke of?"

I nodded. "Guilty as charged. I defy almost all conventional Persona logic it seems."

He laughed. "Ordinary is boring, though. But tell me... apart from the incident last night, how has Shinjiro been doing?"

"Apart from me sticking my nose into some unpleasant memories of his twice, the second time involving me decking him in the face for being a self-loathing idiot?" I asked. "He's been doing okay. Hits Shadows about like someone threw Godzilla at a cardboard box and all that jazz."

Another chuckle from Katsuro. "I see... glad to hear there's more than one person looking out for him these days. I worry a lot."

Eyebrow. "Why?"

"He's much like our mother." he said. "Very... easily troubled. He puts a lot of weight on his own shoulders simply because he feels he has to... especially with Akihiko around. And it's hard to not worry about the only immediate family I have left."

"Fair point." I admitted.

"Hah, I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time when you wanted to see a friend, but from the way you were talking to him, it seems like he's still up to much of the same as when we were children." Katsuro apologized. "And thank you for helping get that watch back; it was our mother's, and it's ... well, it's really the only thing he has left of her. Don't let him fool you too much; he's a sentimental sort."

I chuckled. "Hamuko found it, I just mentioned he lost it. Nice meeting you, Katsuro."

"The same to you, Roy." he said as I walked away.

* * *

><p>I stopped by Chidori's room, but didn't stay long since it seemed like I interrupted her and Junpei having a moment. She wasn't very surprised when I mentioned Takaya's dick move, noting that he was always excessively cruel whenever possible and had, at least once before she'd been captured by us, expressed a desire to outright kill at one or more members of SEES. I left for the dorm after that, arriving around about five or so. I had a surprise in store for me once I got there, however...<p>

"Hrm? Oh, it seems someone else has returned..." said someone in English.

-I KNOW THAT VOICE!- "...Grandpa?"

A hearty chuckle was my reply as the old man turned his head around to get a good look at me. White hair drawn back in a single ponytail, pointy beard, mustache, and an air of 'I know what the hell I'm doing whippersnapper' about him. No doubt about it.

"It's been a while, Roy." he said with a smile. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by."

"Grandpa!" I exclaimed, rushing over to the couch. He barely had time to stand up before I was hugging him.

"Oof! Take it easy on me, you're not a little kid anymore and I'm getting too old..."

"Sorry..." I let go of him and stepped back. "But you seriously came all the way to Japan just to see me?"

"Among other things, yes." he admitted. "I do believe you remember my old friend, I'd heard he was in town and simply had to say hello..."

I turned my head and saw a face I hadn't seen in at least four years. Long, pitch black hair. Bright pink eyes. A stoic expression that could crank out glares capable of punching holes in steel plates. Well tailored suit. A sword within arms reach. No doubt about it.

"...It has been a while." I commented.

"Indeed." he agreed. "I hadn't expected to find you among the residents here, though it would explain the 'loud red head' my grandson spoke of..."

-...Grandson? Wait... He can't mean...!- "Who's your grandson?"

"Shinjiro."

I stared, then dropped my fist into my other hand. "No WONDER I kept getting the weird inkling I'd heard his last name before!"

"It took you this long to make the connection?" he asked, arching an eyebrow with a hint of amusement in his tone. "Rowen, your grandson is slipping."

"He's had a lot to think about these past months, Daichi." chuckled my grandfather. "Last night especially, from what the young blonde girl had to say..."

I looked at Grandpa Rowen. "You were talking with Aigis?"

"Yes, she'd said a friend of yours had gotten hurt the previous night." he replied. "Something about a pale man with a gun."

I focused on my grandfather for a second. -Temperance Arcana... no Persona. He wouldn't know the first thing about the Dark Hour.- "Yeah, we apparently drew the attention of the local nutcase when we ended up having to head out later than expected."

"I see. Is he alright?"

I scoffed. "It apparently takes more than three gunshots and a concussion to keep Shinjiro down."

Daichi sighed heavily. "He really ought to be more careful regardless..."

"Three shots to the chest?" sputtered Rowen. "Good lord, what have you kids been getting into during that paradox?"

I froze. "...paradox?"

"Don't bother feigning ignorance." said Daichi. "I explained the Dark Hour to him ages ago."

I looked at him. -...Jesus fuck! Miyamoto Musashi of the Emperor Arcana?- "Well, that... simplifies things."

"I would imagine so." said my grandfather. "I understand you've been working to get rid of it these past months."

"Yeah, and the gun toting asshole ambushed us after we took another step towards getting rid of it." I told him. "Shinjiro took those shots to save Fuuka – the green haired girl who may have turned up by now. The concussion was from him hitting the ground. But between his abilities and the armor... yeah, he was fine. Unconscious, but fine."

Rowen hummed. "I see... I take it there haven't been many other complications?"

I shook my head. "Apart from the damn tower we've been poking around in between big operations having a very tough and very odd monster living in it? Not really, no."

"The Reaper's still around?" asked Daichi. "I'd thought your group would have slain it by now..."

"No offense, but not even Shinjiro can hurt that thing much." I said. "I've come closest, but both times excessively magical adrenaline rushes have been involved and even THEN it was mostly just a brawl."

"Ha, old family tricks coming in handy I take it?"

I laughed. "A few times, yeah. The family curse seems to have it in for me, though. Bear monsters everywhere."

"Sounds like a hassle." chuckled Rowen. "Still, glad to hear you've been handling it alright. Though I have to ask... where on earth did you all find a gynoid?"

-Gynoid...? OH! He means Aigis.- "The Kirijo Group built her a while back, but she got roughed up pretty bag and wouldn't wake up so she'd been in storage a while. Apparently we arrived for a mini vacation at the place near the lab right when she finally finished rebooting, and she's stuck with us ever since."

"Quite impressive for something a decade old..." noted Daichi. "But I suppose if she wasn't build to last, she wouldn't have awoken again at all..."

"She seemed quite fond of you as well, Roy. Any particular reason?"

-Oh hell to the no, we are not playing the nosy relatives game.- "Beats me. First time I met her, she latched onto me and said she had to be around me. Of course, that was before I knew she was robotic, so I thought 'hey, cute girl wants to be around me? Psh, why be rude?' and yeah it's kinda just stuck."

"Always the gentleman." chuckled Rowen. "I take it you've likewise treated the other girls here with respect?"

"What manner of uncouth slob do you take me for, grandfather?" I asked with the most upper class accent I could manage. "Such barbaric manners are beneath me."

Gramps just laughed, and even Daichi cracked a small, bemused smile.

"Alright, but I had to be sure." he said. "Oh, and before I forget, the young lady wished to speak with you as soon as possible. Best not keep her waiting any longer."

"Yeah, probably not." I agreed, taking a few steps towards the stairs. "You gonna be in town for long?"

Rowen shrugged. "A few days longer perhaps. Any more and I may not want to leave."

I laughed. "Alright, I'll let you and Daichi catch up some more then. Later, and nice seeing you again!"

"Likewise." said Daichi as I headed upstairs.

"Your grandpa seems nice." commented Pharos, switching my brain back over to Japanese.

-I learned half of what I know about poker and everything about throwing knives from him. He's awesome.-

"...You know how to throw knives?"

-Psh, hell yeah.-

I knocked on the door to Aigis' room. A moment later and I heard her voice.

"Who is it?"

"Roy. Gramps said you wanted to see me?"

It didn't take long for her to reply. "Please come in."

I opened the door and slipped inside. It was surprising to finally see what Aigis' room looked like. One corner was dominated by a large chair set-up, probably meant for diagnostic stuff, while a normal bed sat in the opposite corner. Several computers covered the wall along the same side as the left arm of the chair. The other side was a pseudo closet for Aigis' clothes and uniforms. A few cases of ammo were stacked beside it, with some stray, empty rounds on the floor nearby. Aigis herself was seated on the chair, her eyes focused on me.

"Good afternoon." She said. "I was surprised to find your grandfather here. I wasn't aware that he would be visiting... though I found myself reminded of you when I spoke with him."

I laughed. "Really? I didn't really get to see him that often, but I suppose some mannerisms just pass down genetically or something."

"Perhaps." she admitted. "Or your limited exposure to him caused you to recall them more clearly."

"Guess so..." I said. "But what did you want to talk to me about?"

She got up out of her chair and walked over to the bed, motioning for me to sit down next to her.

"I would like to ask you something else first if that is alright..." she said as the two of us sat down. "...What is your family like?"

"My family? Well... Grandpa Rowen you've met, and he's probably the most normal of the bunch. A bit nosy at times, but he's really nice and pretty funny. Uncle Shane, my dad's brother, is fairly out there. Straight laced on account of being an ex United States Marine, but still on the crazy side of things. Aunt Melissa, my dad's sister, though... she drives me nuts."

Aigis tilted her head. "Why?"

I sighed. "She's rude, excessively violent, and a bunch of other unpleasant things all currently wrapped up in denial and overly affectionate bullcrap on account of the fact her personality got one of her sons killed by trying to salvage her marriage. But for all the trouble she causes... I feel kinda sorry for her. Her son died about four years ago, and she still has this massive guilt eating at her. It's all complicated stuff I try to not fuss over much, I'd prefer to not get super depressed..."

"I see..."

"The few other relatives I have are Uncle Kihei, my mom's brother, and Melissa's other son Alex. Kihei lives over in Inaba, and he clearly shows that the artistic part of me is from my mom's side of the family, what with his intricate metal artwork and weapon forging." I continued. "Alex... he's a bit of a tough nut to crack. Even before his little brother died, he didn't talk much. Spent a lot of time alone, and after Cody passed away? It took two years before anybody was able to coax more than a single sentence out of him. He's mainly bitter at his parents for causing it, so... well, I feel really bad for him. My mom and dad died before possibly having another kid."

"Ah..." she murmured. "...I have never known what it was like to have a family, beyond perhaps my fellow Anti-Shadow Units. I suppose you could say they were my sisters, but... most did not make it past testing stages, and several were destroyed in combat. Why no male-type Anti-Shadow Units were made, I do not know."

-Probably because most guys would just be unfeeling macho idiots. That, or there were a lot of women working on the project.- I thought. -Most likely the second thing.- "So you were wondering what it was like for me?"

She nodded. "I suppose so..."

"Heh, well mine's not exactly a stand out example." I said. "Hamuko or Shinjiro would be able to tell you more, on account of seeing most of their family more often. Shinjiro's in particular is already out weirding my family by a country mile."

"But... Shinjiro-san does seem quite happy when they, or Hamuko-san, are around." noted Aigis. "Perhaps... that is what makes a family? Finding people who bring happiness by being around you?"

I smiled. "Yeah, that's probably one way to look at it. Friends can feel like family if they're close enough."

"I see..." she murmured. "...Roy-san?"

"Yeah?"

"...Would it be too bold of me... to ask if I can consider you family...?"

I chuckled. "Not at all, Aigis."

"...Ah..." she said, sounding... disappointed? "...Th-Thank you, but... I..."

Eyebrow. "Something wrong...?"

"Ah, no... I am just glad you're willing to talk with me frequently." She said. "Most ... well, my research into Hamuko-san's literature showed that a humanoid robot is not always such a readily accepted thing ..."

"Research...? What're you reading, manga?" I asked, slightly perplexed. "That's not exactly a good thing to base reactions off of. You're you and I like you for the kind of person you are. Much like how I hate Takaya because of what he's like."

Aigis' eyes lit up, and another smile curled its way onto her lips. "Yes, that is true... you really are a wonderful person, Roy-san... I fell... lucky to have you as a friend."

I chuckled. "You were resisting the urge to make a pun, weren't you?"

"Yes..." she admitted.

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Aeon Arcana..._

-Nice.-

"Ah... Roy-san...?"

"Yeah, Aigis...?"

"...Would it be alright if... I hugged you...?"

I laughed again. "I don't see why it wouldn't."

"Ah... A-Alright then..." She said, suddenly standing up...

...And then sitting on my lap and wrapping her arms around my torso.

-...Plus side, she's really not that heavy.- I thought, my brain suddenly scrambling and backpedaling every which way except in the direction of what to actually do. Almost automatically, my arms slid around Aigis gently. It was... odd, but... everything about what was happening felt... right.

"You're... very warm, Roy-san..." she murmured, resting her head on my left shoulder. "It feels nice..."

"Yeah..." I agreed. "It does..."

-...So cuddling up with the metal girl isn't as unpleasant as you'd think...-

"Hey Aiiiiigiiiiiiiis~!" Exclaimed a familiar voice as the door was suddenly thrown open. "I got that thing you were..."

And then Hamuko spotted us, now staring wide eyed at her from the bed with our arms around each other.

"Oh my~" she said, giving us a very... concerning look. "Should I leave you two alone for a little bit?"

"Ah-Ah..." Aigis sputtered, while I was just kind of too stunned to do much beyond comprehend what was happening around me. "I-I-I...! R-Roy-san was just leaving!"

She suddenly got up and pulled me to my feet.

"Th-Thank you for speaking with me R-Roy-san!" she said hurriedly, then pulled Hamuko aside and shoved me, dazed and confused, out the door. "I-I'm sorry!"

And slam went the door behind me, jarring me from my stupor.

"...Roy, what the hell just happened to you?" asked Pharos, having finally decided to materialize from wherever he'd been.

-...I'm not sure I know...- I thought. -Not sure at all...-

* * *

><p>I didn't stick around to find out what Aigis and Hamuko were talking about, since I just headed downstairs. To my surprise, Katsuro was around as well and it turns out Shinjiro isn't the only Aragaki fond of cooking.<p>

"What's cooking?" I asked as I plopped down on the nearest couch. Seems Grandpa Rowen had left, while Daichi relocated to the dinner table.

"Whatever is on page three ninety four of this cookbook of Shinjiro's that's half covered in his nigh indecipherable notes." replied Katsuro as he headed into the kitchen. "I hope I'm reading this right..."

"So, care to explain why your face was almost the same shade of red as your hair?"

I blinked, then glanced at the other couch. Pharos was sitting there and smirking oh so smugly at me.

-...Huh...? Wait, I was still blushing?-

"Only until you got about halfway down the last flight of stairs." reported Pharos. "You didn't even notice me calling out to you till just now, either."

-Well, when a cute girl suddenly climbs onto your lap for a hug, ya kinda get mentally disoriented!- I griped. -Especially when you're easily flustered like me!-

Pharos arched an eyebrow. "You're freaking out because you got a hug...?" Suddenly his eyes narrowed. "Wait... who hugged you?"

-...Aigis.-

"Aigis?" he asked, sounding fairly surprised. "Not Yukari?"

My turn for quirking an eyebrow. -Why would Yukari want to sit on my lap and hug me?-

"Well..." he began, then he shook his head. "Just kinda surprising is all. Though given how you seem to get around Aigis..."

-The hell is that supposed to mean?-

"You get like Junpei does around Chidori." he said. "I've seen you just randomly stare at her in class, and the few times I've followed you up Tartarus, you seem to make more of an effort protecting her than you do anyone else. Granted, she does the same, but she's been like that from day one."

I blinked again. -...I do...?-

"My god man, are you really this clueless?" asked Pharos, sounding astounded at how dumb I apparently was. "I'm saying I'm like eighty four percent sure you have a huge crush on Aigis!"

I started to reply, only for a loud clanking sound to draw my attention. I looked towards the kitchen and Daichi was standing in the doorway, apparently playing judge for Katsuro's cooking.

"Too much salt."

"You say that every other time I try to cook!" complained Katsuro.

"And your brother says it whenever I don't." replied Daichi.

"Focus, Roy."

My attention shifted back to Pharos.

"You DID hear me, right?" he asked.

-Yeah... I just...- I thought. -...Man, I have no idea what to do. I mean sure, what you said would certainly explain the shit I've done but... at the same time...-

"Not sure how to talk to a girl, much less one like Aigis?"

I sighed. -...Yeah, pretty much. Doesn't help that Hamuko barged in and kinda ruined whatever sort of a moment we were having...-

"Oh ho, a moment?" Pharos inquired, hopping up and walking over to me. "Were you two-"

-She cuddled up to me on my lap on her bed that was all!- I mentally shouted, feeling my face heat up.

"Well then I guess it's good Hamuko came a knocking when she did." he chuckled. "Or else your face might've been magnetized to hers-"

I then got to find out if Pharos can A. be punched and B. feel pain. Turns out he can, at least by me.

"OW!" he whined, backing up and rubbing his forehead. "Not cool!"

"...What are you doing?"

I turned my head and Daichi was staring at me with an inquisitive expression.

"Practicing a technique?" He asked.

"S-Something like that, yeah..." I admitted, sheepishly rubbing my neck. I had to keep a straight face when Pharos suddenly slugged me in the gut.

"Now we're even." he grumbled, sitting in the nearby chair.

-Jerk.-

However, Daichi had apparently deemed Katsuro not a fire hazard or whatever and returned to sit down on the couch he'd been at earlier. I was kind of nervous now, mainly because he seemed to be staring at me intently.

"...Most people would practice their form while standing, you know." Daichi said suddenly. "Any particular reason you opted to train while seated in the lounge?"

-...Shit.- "Well, ah..."

"And what's more, you seem to have something clearly more pressing on your mind than fitness." he continued. "I'd find it hard to believe otherwise given your expressions over the past five or so minutes."

-...Double shit...-

"Having a mental panic attack isn't doing you any favors."

Katsuro poked his head out of the kitchen. "Oh, be nice to him, Daichi. He's probably trying to sort out how to avoid what happened to Shinjiro happening-"

"Your rice is burning."

"GAH!" he yelped, ducking back into the kitchen

"Ah..." I stammered, still trying to sort out what to say. "Well, I..."

Daichi just kept staring at me. He didn't even have to move much or say anything and I could just tell this guy was staring right through me. Sure as hell explains where Shinjiro got his death glare from.

"Is there something about you that we should be made aware of?"

"Shit Roy, you might be-"

"Besides the specter."

My blood suddenly ran cold. "...Specter?"

"When you've been summoning for as long as I have, you tend to pick up more on the little things." Daichi replied evenly. "If it didn't seem harmless, I would've cut it down the moment I noticed it follow you into the dorm."

-...The scariest part is I don't doubt him in the slightest.-

"I am curious as to why something like that is shadowing you, however..." he said, turning his gaze straight towards Pharos. "And how long it has been active."

"Daichi, you do realize Shinjiro would be very upset with you if he knew you were hassling his friend so close to dinner." said Katsuro, emerging from the kitchen again. "Save the supernatural inquisition for once he's eaten something... though I must admit, I'm curious as to why his face was so red when he came down..."

"I was thinking the same thing, actually..." Daichi admitted. "Did something happen?"

-Lovely, the switch from talking about Pharos to pestering me about a different embarrassing topic... at least it's kinda more normal, I guess...- "Well, ah... having a bit of trouble is all..."

"What kind?" asked Katsuro, sitting backwards in a dining room chair and staring at me.

"Was it related to what that girl wished to speak with you about?"

And then the younger Aragaki perked up in his seat. "Oh ho, girl trouble is it?"

-Oh dear god just kill me now...-

Lucky for me, Hamuko picked that moment to come downstairs and introduce herself to her boyfriend's family, though whether or not she noticed I was in a bind when she bounded over and enthusiastically said who she was. Not sure if that makes us even for her interrupting the moment Aigis and I were having earlier or not...

"Oh you so have the hots for her."

-Can it or I'll deck you again, ghost boy.-

Anyway, she got the conversation going about herself which gave me the chance to bail upstairs... only to run into Aigis again at the top of the first set of stairs.

I blinked. "Ah... H-Hi, Aigis..."

"...I cannot say I condemn Hamuko-san for her actions last night." she said. "...I would have reacted similarly..."

Eyebrow. "What are you...?"

I didn't get to finish my question before I suddenly found myself pinned against a wall and Aigis kissing me. I don't know how long I was stunned. I don't know when I wrapped my arms around her and started kissing her back. I don't know how long we were there. But I do know one thing.

"Hey, din- AWWWW~!"

Hamuko ruined the moment AGAIN, so it wasn't long enough.

Aigis hurriedly pulled away from me, her back to Hamuko while I was still leaning on a wall. I just slowly turned to glare at her a little.

"Sorry!" She apologized. "Dinner's ready, but I could bring it up to you if you'd like..."

"Y-Yes, that would be fine!" exclaimed Aigis, who span around and grabbed me by the arm. "W-We'll be in his room!"

And then I was bodily dragged down the hall and into my own bedroom by a girl.

"Aigis, what are you- mMMPH!"

* * *

><p>Aigis and I were alone for a while, and eventually she'd stopped wanting to lip lock me and settled for just cuddling up close. It was roughly ten minutes after that happened before I could finally start to actually process what the hell had just happened due to my brain finally turning back on.<p>

"...Hey, Aigis?"

She stirred slightly. I think she might've fallen asleep for a moment. "...Yes, Roy-san?"

"...Where did all that come from?" I asked, turning my head slightly to look at her. "I-I'm not mad, just... confused..."

"...I asked Hamuko-san for advice." she replied quietly. "She suggested I use actions rather than words, since words didn't seem to be working..."

I blinked. Certainly sounded like advice Hamuko would give. "...But... why did...?"

"...I just..." Aigis stammered, and I felt her grip my shirt tightly. "...I can't... I can't stop thinking about you, Roy!"

I felt my face heat up again as she started trembling.

"The way you speak to me... the way you smile..." she continued. "Every little thing you do... it invades my mind whenever there's even a moment's pause in my thoughts... I don't... I don't understand this feeling... why it feels like my chest may burst when you're close to me... how I feel so at ease when you say my name... I don't understand what is happening to me...!"

I couldn't find my voice. Aigis was... she was pouring out her heart to me. And for one of the few times I could remember, all the smooth talking and words I profess to be so good with were failing me.

"I don't know if I can carry on like this..." she said, burying her face into my shoulder. "With these thoughts... these feelings... I fear I might break down..."

Some part of my head was active enough to respond to that by wrapping my arms around her. "It'll be alright, Aigis..."

She was still shaking and clinging to me desperately. "...I... I can't... ask you to... watch out for me... you've done so much and... I..."

"No, Aigis... I..." I stammered, trying desperately to say SOMETHING despite the maelstrom of thoughts swirling in my head. "...I feel the same way about you..."

All at once, her shaking stopped. I felt her head move and suddenly I found myself staring into her eyes. Her gorgeous blue eyes...

"Wh... what did you say...?" she asked, sounding almost like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"...I feel the same way about you that you feel about me, Aigis." I said, a lump forming in my throat. I swallowed it down, my mouth working faster than my head was able to at the moment. "...I love you."

Her eyes went wide. "...Love...? I... know of it, but... I didn't think I..."

"Aigis... I've told you before." I said, gently prying one of her hands off my shirt and carefully moving it over my heart. "You're just as human as I am, even if your body isn't the same as mine or anyone else... It's a part of who you are... and I love every part of you..."

She kept staring at me, and I felt her body tremble again.

"Roy, I..." she stammered. "...I love you too..."

Suddenly, there was a knocking at the door.

"Hey!" called out Hamuko's voice. "I brought you guys food!"

Aigis and I sighed in unison, the both of us looking towards the door.

"Door's open." I said as Aigis adjusted herself to be snuggled up near the crook of my neck. I could've sworn she was pouting.

The door swung open, how I will probably never know because Hamuko was carrying two tray tables and two plates of food when she walked in.

"Sorry to interrupt~" she apologized, setting one of the plates on my desk before she put up the tray tables next to the bed and moved the food onto them. "Hope you guys like Katsuro's cooking. It's not quite Shinji's, but it's still good! Just bring the plates down once you're both done~"

And then she bolted back out the door, almost slamming it behind her.

"...I hope she doesn't do that again..." commented Aigis. "I feel... upset when she arrives abruptly."

I chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I know the feeling... but we really should eat."

Aigis took a moment before she moved. "...I know..."

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to." I said, sitting up next to her. "Stay all night if you'd like"

She smiled as she started eating. "...I think I will."

**CRASH**

-Blah blah, Aeon Arcana. Shut up, I'm content right now.-

* * *

><p>Aigis and I stayed up until about the Dark Hour talking and stuff before we finally fell asleep, thankfully without any other interruptions from Hamuko or anyone else for that matter. Also thankfully, Hamuko wasn't blathering to everyone that it was now basically official that me and Aigis were a couple... at least, not blathering to anyone who WASN'T in SEES, anyways. I think ninety percent of the school thought we were already a thing because of how often Aigis stuck close to me even before last night happened, and honestly? I don't care enough to correct people. Something just... I can't really explain it in words but it felt good. Like I'd been waiting for it to happen for a long time.<p>

Speaking of waiting for things, I had a chat with Akihiko later that day. It was at Shinjiro's hospital room, since Mitsuru mentioned at lunch she couldn't find the guy. Also Hamuko apparently decided to kidnap Aigis fro some reason so I couldn't spend time with her, so I figured checking in on Shinjiro would be a good idea. I found Akihiko sitting next to his bed while he was napping.

"...It's odd." he commented once I slipped the door shut. "When we were younger, it was always Shinji sitting by my bed while I was sick. Being on the flip side's... strange."

"Certainly explains why you had a hard time noticing once he started on a downward spiral." I commented. "No offense, but... well, attention to detail outside of physical fitness isn't your strong suit."

Akihiko sighed. "Yeah... I know..."

"What brings you around, though?" I asked. "Besides wanting to check on your friend, I mean."

"...I don't really know." he admitted. "Shinji or Mitsuru have always been the ones with the answers. I tend to just be around for the fighting..." He let out a short laugh. "Heh... after all, getting stronger is really the only thing that mattered to me after I lost Miki..."

I frowned. "You do know there's more than just strength of body, right...?"

"...I do now." Akihiko said, turning his gaze back to his sleeping friend. "I guess I needed to see it with my own eyes, but I could never do something like that. Taking a bullet meant for someone else... putting my life on the line to protect another... I'd have just stood there, stiff as a board. But Shinji... he..."

"He just shoved Fuuka aside and took three in the chest." I finished for him. "Without missing a friggin' beat."

Akihiko let out another laugh, this one sounding... sad. Almost bitter. "He's always been like that, come to think of it. He pushed me right out a window when the orphanage caught fire. Fell right into a firefighter's hands, and he was right out the window behind me. I used to as him 'How do you think people would feel if you died?' and he'd always answer with 'The same way I'd feel if I did jack shit'."

I hummed slightly, glancing at Shinjiro. "Hell of a guy."

"I've only ever seen him cry once outside of when his dad went back into the fire for his mom." he continued. "And that was only because he couldn't do something to help someone. I can hardly believe it's taken me this long to even try understanding what he meant with what he said."

"And what would that be?" I asked. I had a fairly good idea myself, but I'd rather not say anything yet.

"...Actually, no... there was another time he cried." he said, not actually answering my question. "That time with Ken's mom... he was a wreck for nearly two whole days. Not as bad as the other time, but... well, I guess you could say it hurt him about as much as losing Miki hurt me."

-Oh dear god, that's... shit that's not a can of worms I wanna be anywhere near right now.- "Ouch... but what'd you mean when it took you a while to understand him? Was it his answer to that old question of yours?"

Akihiko nodded. "Yeah... I finally get it. To him... doing nothing hurts more than anything that could happen to him if he tried to help. He physically can't just stand by and do nothing. If he did... he'd go insane."

"I've honestly never seen someone with a will that strong." I admitted. "Save for Grandpa Rowen, anyways. He's probably where I get my stubborn determination from... that or it's just a general trait of every guy ever in my family tree."

"I could say the same about Shinji and his Grandfather." chuckled Akihiko. "I wish I had strength like that..."

"What's stopping you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess... part of me is scared. Scared of what'll happen if I screw up and something terrible happens. At the same time, though... I know I have to do SOMETHING or I'll keep losing people important to me."

"Might wanna work on that, then." I said. "Trust me, I know what it's like to be scared of consequences. But you really can't let that stop you. If you want to protect what's dear to you, you have to fight with everything you have and never back down." I smirked. "Why do you think I can argue with Mitsuru?"

He chuckled again. "Good point... I'm just glad he's asleep... I'd never hear the end of it if he knew I was admitting he was right for once."

I glanced at Shinjiro and I saw a smirk suddenly plaster itself on his face.

-Oh you clever mother fucker.- "Well, admitting it and acting on it are different things. Or do I have to use the nickname again?"

I swore I saw Shinjiro glare at me through closed eyes. He's gonna kill me if I blow his cover.

Akihiko, meanwhile, just twitched a little. "...I can't stay in the past as much as I have. If I don't try and move forward, I'll never change at all and I'll never protect what's important to me..."

_**'I am thou... and thou art I...'**_

-SHIT!- I thought, taking a step back as Polydeuces suddenly materialized between me and Akihiko.

_**'From the sea of thine soul, the resolution of thine heart calls forth new power...'**_

The Persona was suddenly engulfed in a sphere of lightning for a few moments, before a larger figure emerged. Armored, carrying a sword in one hand and a globe in the other, and looked like there was a smaller figure on a throne in its torso.

_**'Polydeuces has given rise to Caesar!'**_

-...God damn it, now I want pizza.-

"...Is that what happened to Ken's Persona?"

I nodded. "Koromaru's too. Hard to put that sort of thing into words, huh?"

Akihiko nodded. "Yeah..." He stood up. "I should head back. He probably doesn't need us talking here while he's trying to sleep..."

"Probably." I agreed. "I'm gonna stick around for a bit, though. Reasons and stuff."

He laughed. "Alright. See you later, Roy."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Star Arcana..._

And then Akihiko left. About a minute or two later, I turned to Shinjiro. "So how long have you been awake over there?"

"Longer than Aki's been here." he replied, opening his eyes. "He almost never listens, so I faked it thinkin' it'd get him to use his head for once. Guess I was right."

I laughed. "You two really are brothers in all but blood."

"Aki's not exactly the hardest jigsaw in the closet, though."

"Fair point." I chuckled. "Still, how've you been holding up?"

"Kaede turned up with Daichi earlier and clung to me for about half an hour." he said. "It was a nice surprise to see them both."

Eyebrow. "No visit from your aunt and uncle?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. Kaede said they'd come by later, and I'm expecting to catch hell from them for this..."

"Well to be fair, you did get roughed up bad." I said. "But how bad were the shots?"

"Not too bad. They got blocked by the armor so it was more the impact from them that did damage." said Shinjiro. "Apparently they came from a police issue revolver."

I hummed. "Explains how Takaya got his hands on a new gun. Hopefully they'll catch his ass soon."

He sighed. "Yeah... that'd be good."

"But you said your watch got hit?" I asked. "And it didn't get scratched?"

He pulled the watch out of his shirt, holding it in his hand. There was a faintly noticeable dent and scratch near the middle of the cover.

"Got marked up a little, but yeah. It stopped a bullet." said Shinjiro. "No idea what it's made of, but it's tough whatever it is."

I let out a low whistle. "Damn. What'd Daichi have to say, though? I almost got grilled by him last night."

"I heard about that. Surprised to find out you're Rowen's grandkid, though." he commented. "But... he was proud of me, even if he was angry I got hurt so badly."

"Can't say I blame him." I said. "I mean, think about your whole thing with Ken. Imagine if Takaya had found you two talking about what'd happened two years ago..."

He sighed again. "Yeah... that would've been bad."

"Bad's... kind of an understatement." I noted. "Ken was ready to stab you with a goddamn steak knife because he had a good idea of what I was calling you four up to the Command Room for. If you'd actually DIED? Man, I don't think there's a force on this planet that could've stopped Hamuko from making mince meat of Takaya, to say nothing of how anyone else would've reacted."

"I don't see why." Shinjiro replied gruffly. "I'm not worth much to anyone."

I felt my arm twitch. If he wasn't already in a hospital bed, I'd have punched him. "Never say that again."

He looked at me. "Why not? It's true."

"Shinjiro, you mean the WORLD to Hamuko!" I exclaimed. "She nearly killed Takaya because she thought you were going to die! You didn't hear her screaming. You didn't see the look on her face when the only thing that made her stop was me not only saying YOU wouldn't have approved of her murdering him, but that you were okay! You mean everything to her, and you sure as hell mean a lot more to everyone else than you seem to think you do."

"...Old habits die hard." He said quietly. "I'm just too used to taking care of everyone around me..."

I sighed, offering a sympathetic smile. "Well, I'm sure Hamuko will fix that."

"She can sure try." he scoffed.

"She will break you, Shinjiro." I stated. "I have foreseen it."

He laughed. "I've already been broken. No use denying it."

I grinned. "Fair enough."

"...Still, though..." he began quietly. "I get so damn worried about everyone else, I just... forget about myself. It was worse when me 'n Aki were little. If I had a breakdown, he'd fall apart as well and things would just spiral from there..."

"Sounds like you were his emotional support back then."

"I was for a while. It was a miracle he didn't fall apart completely as a kid after Miki died." said Shinjiro. "She was all he had left. In our own way, my family took him in... even if he still hasn't realized it."

I hummed, sitting down in the chair Akihiko had been occupying earlier. "He's lucky to have a friend like you."

"That's one of the few things I know he knows." he said. "But after hearing you two talking? I'd say he's luckier to know someone like you."

I scoffed. "I'm not sure I rate quite that high, man. You've known him longer than I have."

"Still, it's nice to have someone else who can actually get through to him." commented Shinjiro. "Seems to listen to you more than he does me."

"Well considering I can speak meathead, that's probably why."

He laughed. "Probably..." He let out a sigh. "Y'know... it was hard acting like that."

"Acting like what?"

"Rude, standoff-ish jerk." he clarified. "But... after everything that'd happened? I figured it was easier to just push everyone way. Don't let them get attached to me but... well, that backfired even before my family showed up."

"Because of Hamuko?"

He nodded. "Yeah... she got her way into my head and didn't wanna leave."

"And that was enough to start changing your mind?"

"Guess so." Shinjiro admitted. "Even if she doesn't deserve to cry over an idiot like me..."

"You really need to work on the whole self-confidence thing, dude." I commented. "If you went at it like you do your cooking, I'd be more terrified of you than I already am."

He looked at me with an arched eyebrow. "What, YOU'RE scared of ME?"

"Dude you hit things like a tank firing more tanks!" I pointed out. "If I wasn't scared of you, I'd be insane!"

Shinjiro just laughed. "Man, if I gotta work on my self-confidence, you gotta work on not being a coward."

"Hey!"

**CRASH**

-OH COME ON.-

_Thou-_

-BLAH BLAH SAILOR MOON BLAH. Whoever is in charge of these voices is a massive asshole.-

A knock at the door drew the attention of me and Shinjiro, though. A moment later and it slid open.

"Shinji~" Hamuko cooed, then she saw me in the room. "Oh hey Roy. Why're you here?"

"Wanted to check on your idiot for you." I said, gesturing at Shinjiro. "He's fine it seems."

"Good, but you need to go."

Eyebrow. "Why?"

"BECAUSE a certain significant other of yours is waiting for you, duh!" she said, pulling me out of my chair. "Now get going!"

"Hey, no pushing!"

"Aigis said she'd meet you at the Port Island station; treat the girl to a movie or something~!"

And then the door closed behind me and I was standing in the hallway.

-...Guess I don't really have any other options, since Junpei said he wanted to talk to Chidori alone today...-

* * *

><p>So I headed off to Port Island Station, kinda thankful the hospital wasn't too far from the monorail. Aigis was happy to see me, and we ended up having a movie and dinner date on the spur of the moment. Nothing too eventful was really happening at the dorm - everyone wanted to wait until we were back up to full strength to hit Tartarus again - and things were quiet.<p>

At least until Hamuko got back after hospital visiting hours had ended.

"Hey Hamuko-" I paused once I looked up at her. "...The fuck?"

She looked at me, as did everyone else who wasn't already.

"What?" she asked.

"The hell happened to you?" I asked. "Usas?"

It took her a moment, then she laughed sheepishly. "Oh, um... I was talking with Shinji and stuff happened..."

"Pretty big stuff if you had Thalia the last time I saw you." I noted, then I looked towards Akihiko and Mitsuru. "Shit, how many changed Personae does that make now? Four?"

"Five."

I looked back at her. "Five?"

"Shinji's changed too."

There was an almost audible chill in the air. Even Mitsuru shivered.

"Hey, Roy...?"

"Yeah, Junpei?"

"You feel that?"

"Depends, was it a sense of impending terror?"

"Yeah..."

"Then yeah, I felt it too."

* * *

><p>The next day of school passed by as normally as can be for this goddamn place. Asami ended up having to throw a book at someone though, but I suspect she was aiming at their desk to just wake them up. After class, Aigis dragged me off to talk with Mitsuru, and I could not tell you why until we got there.<p>

"Hrm? Oh, hello Fortune. Aigis." Mitsuru greeted once the two of us found her. Interestingly she was waiting near the Shoe Lockers. I'd never personally seen her near them for longer than the time it took most people to change shoes, though I wonder if she actually bothers since I've never once seen her not in those giant heeled boots of hers. "Is something wrong?"

"No Mitsuru-san, but I wished to speak with you about something." replied Aigis. "I have been wondering... what will become of me once the Dark Hour is gone?"

Mitsuru seemed confused. "As far as I know, nothing was decided. You are fully autonomous, and, due to the formalities required to permit you to attend Gekkoukan, a fully registered, legal citizen of Japan. When the Dark Hour is gone, and even now, you are free to do as you like."

Aigis was stock still for a moment, just staring at Mitsuru. And then she suddenly hugged her.

"Aigis?" asked Mitsuru, sounding confused at the sudden affection. "Why are you...?"

"Thank you, Mitsuru-san..." said Aigis, sounding beside herself with joy. "Thank you..."

And then the redheaded upperclassman was looking at me.

"Fortune, do you know what this is about?" she asked as Aigis finally let go of her.

"She wouldn't tell me." I admitted. "But I have a hunch..."

"I was worried I would not be able to remain with him once the Shadows were eradicated..." Aigis said, standing very close to me. "Knowing that is not the case puts me at ease..."

The look on Mitsuru's face when she heard that had me worried. Not because it was one of surprise, but more like what your face would do if you were just thinking 'Oh psh, is that all?'.

"I'm sorry, I should have clarified that information when you first joined SEES." Mitsuru said apologetically. "It was never my intention to disregard how you may have felt on the matter and simply pack you in a crate once the task was complete."

"And I wouldn't allow her to anyways."

I swear I saw Mitsuru's eyes almost literally light up like floodlights when that voice cut through the air, drawing the attention of the three of us. A tall, red haired woman who could only be described as 'Mitsuru in at least ten years' was walking towards as, a small smile on her face. Her hands were tucked into the pockets of her currently buttoned closed jacket... lab coat... thing as she stopped a few paces away.

"Mother!" Mitsuru exclaimed, sounding happier than I've ever heard her sound before ever.

-Well that explains why she certainly LOOKS like Mitsuru. Or I guess it's the other way around, but whatever. Semantics.-

"Hello, Mitsu." replied the older woman, pulling her daughter into a quick hug. "I trust you and your father have been well?"

"Of course." said Mitsuru. "Though he's still troubled as always..."

Mrs. Kirijo chuckled. "He's too serious for his own good. You'd think Fuuma would be more insistent on him relaxing..."

"Um..." I began awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head before bowing slightly. "Hello there, I'm Roy Fortune and my brain is currently three steps behind the conversation?"

Mrs. Kirijo looked at me, then back at Mitsuru. The two of them started talking, but... for the life of me I had no idea what they were speaking in. French, probably.

-Lousy Kirijos and their lousy French...- I thought. -Bet Aigis understands them, though...-

After a moment or two more of foreign language chattering between mother and daughter, the two of them finally returned their attention to Aigis and I.

"It's nice to meet you, Fortune." said Mrs. Kirijo. "I'm Tenshi Kirijo. I do hope you've been respectful in your interactions with my daughter."

-I'm going to die here and now because my honesty compels me to not lie to Mitsuru's mom's face. Pharos, wherever you are, if you can hear me right now, know that I regret nothing.-

=Can do, Roy.=

-Thank you, you little shit.- "Within reason, yes..."

Tenshi arched a slender eyebrow. "Within reason?"

-I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die.-

"He's much like Aragaki." noted Mitsuru. "Mainly in that I apparently don't frighten him."

"Ah, that makes more sense." commented Tenshi. "Truth be told, I'm not sure why some people are so afraid of her... or me, for that matter."

"It's the air of 'mess with me and I will end you' that you both seem to exude." I said. "And then there's me, the guy who's basically 'Oh sure we can be friends' up until you get me mad, and then the murder aura kicks in."

Surprisingly, Tenshi apparently found that amusing. "You sound like someone I met once. Described me in almost the exact same way."

-...Why do I feel like I know who she's talking about?- "Really? Huh. Must've been a decent guy." I said absently. "But ah, if you don't mind me asking... what brings you to Iwatodai?"

"Shadow Business." She replied almost instantly. "I understand you've almost eradicated the Dark Hour?"

"That's correct, mother." stated Mitsuru. "There is only one operation remaining before the last of the Shadows is destroyed."

Tenshi hummed. "I see. I may be able to provide assistance for that Operation, but... well, that depends on several factors. Chief among them the reactions of several researchers from the Asura Project..."

"The project you headed several years ago?" asked Mitsuru, sounding perplexed.

"Yes. They may be able to help ensure the final Arcana Shadow is disposed of..." She trailed off, looking at me. "Hm? Is there a reason she's clinging to you like that? Aigis, I mean."

I blinked. "Ah..."

"She's quite fond of him, mother." said Mitsuru. "To the point she was worried about being packed away once the Dark Hour was gone."

"Oh? Well now..." commented Tenshi, sounding very... intrigued by this turn of events. "I suppose it's not impossible, given how late model ASUs like her were coded. I'm curious as to what kind of person you must be to have sparked such an intense level of affection from her..."

I just stared, trying to not go slack jawed.

"Mother, didn't you write the coding for the Sixth and Seventh Generations yourself?"

"Exactly why I could say what I did with such certainty." stated Tenshi. "Just keep one thing in mind, young man..." She leaned forward, and I swear she was glaring straight into my soul. "Treat her well, or you will not live to regret it."

I nodded slowly, which seemed to prompt her to stand up straight again.

"Good... Oh, calm down, Aigis. I'm not going to hurt him."

It was only then I noticed that Aigis was not only clinging to my arm tighter, but she was death glaring at Mitsuru's mom. I looked back at her and... "...What the hell is a Hari-Hara?"

"Something you will never want to face in battle." replied Tenshi. "So be glad we're on the same side, Fortune."

-Don't I feel ever so lucky.- "I'll keep that in mind..."

"Good. But, if you'll excuse me, I have some associates to meet with." she said, giving Mitsuru another quick hug. "I might need your help in about ten minutes, so stick around alright?"

"I will, mother." replied Mitsuru, smiling happily.

"It was nice meeting you, Fortune. And do be nice to Aigis, alright?" she asked, ruffling the hair on Aigis' head. "She's a sweet little thing, you know."

At that, Tenshi Kirijo sauntered off towards the stairs, leaving me with standing two feet from Mitsuru with Aigis still latched onto my left arm.

"Well, your mom seems very nice." I said, looking at Mitsuru. "I could certainly see the parts of her you took after."

Mitsuru chuckled. "I have no doubt of that."

"Kinda surprised she was partly responsible for the Anti-Shadow Units, though." I admitted. "Gotta respect the amount of talent it took to work on the main programming."

"She's always had a soft spot for them, especially after several incidents with the fifth generation." said Mitsuru. "Maternal instinct, I suppose."

"Never a bad thing."

"Not at all." Aigis agreed.

Another chuckle from Mitsuru. "No, I suppose not. I do wish I could spend more time with her, though..."

"Always busy?"

"Sadly, yes..." she sighed.

"Well, who knows." I said. "Maybe once the whole thing with the Dark Hour goes away she might have more free time on her hands."

A smile curled its way onto Mitsuru's lips. "I hope so..."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Empress Arcana..._

-Shiny.-

"Speaking of busy, I apologize but I have business in the library." said Mitsuru, straightening her posture. "It seems things have become somewhat disorganized and my assistance was requested."

"Well given how well everything with the Student Council runs, that doesn't surprise me too much." I laughed. "But no worries, we'll see you back at the dorm, Senpai."

"Farewell for now, Mitsuru-san." said Aigis as the two of us headed for the door.

"I'll see you both later." she called out before walking off, that ever present clacking of her heels marking her exit.

Part of me still wonders how she can wear those, honestly.

* * *

><p>The next day was... well, kind of a surprise. Akihiko pulled me aside early on to say that Shinjiro was being discharged a few days earlier than originally planned; he kept terrorizing the staff, and it seems like his resolution made his passive healing skill stronger. That wasn't the surprising part, though. What was would be what happened after school when I went up to the roof for a bit, mainly because Fuuka wanted Aigis and Mitsuru's help with something, and found Yukari there. I could tell something was wrong, even at a distance. It looked like she was shaking.<p>

"Yukari?" I asked, approaching the pink-clad brunette.

She sat up straighter, looking at me. She was crying.

"O-Oh, h-h-hey Roy..." She said, wiping away some tears. "Wh-What's up?"

I blinked. "Um... not much, but... why are you...?"

"Why am I what?" asked Yukari, forcing a smile. "I-I'm fine..."

"Yukari, you're crying." I said. "You don't cry if you're fine..."

She laughed bitterly. "Hah... You've always been impossible to lie to..."

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting down next to her. "Why are you crying?"

Yukari just stared at me, still trembling. She stayed like that for a few moments before tears started spilling again. A choked sob escaped her, and I was getting more worried by the second.

"Yukari?"

Another sob. "I... I'm so stupid..."

"What are you talking about?"

At that question, she curled her legs up close to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, then started crying into her knees loudly. It was sudden enough that I jumped to my feet.

"Yukari?" I sputtered.

"What did you do?" shouted Pharos.

-I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!- "Y-Yukari, calm down! Just tell me what's going on...!"

"I-It doesn't matter!" she said between sobs. "I'm a fucking moron who doesn't deserve to be happy!"

-Yukari's swearing. This is a level of bad I have no name for because she doesn't swear like that ever. Shit.- "It clearly does matter or you wouldn't be acting like this! What the hell is going on?"

"Weren't you listening?" she practically screamed at me, looking up with puffy red eyes. "I'm paying for my god damn stupidity!"

"That's not answering my question!"

She stared at me, and a half laugh, half sob bubbled out of her throat. "Just my luck ... the one time I actually really like someone ... and I can't say anything until it's too late." She dropped her head back into her knees. "Haha ... and I call Junpei stupid ..."

I blinked. "...Wait, what?"

"Isn't it obvious?" demanded Yukari, not looking up at me. "Everything you've said... everything you've done... I couldn't... I couldn't stop, no matter how much I said to myself I could get by on my own... I still..." She hugged her legs tighter. "...I still fell in love with you..."

-...Oh... shit...- "Yukari... I..."

"I know..." she said quietly, now trying to fight down her sobbing. "I know you didn't know. I never said anything... I had my chance that night at Yakushima... and I blew it because I was too nervous to speak up..."

"...Yukari..." -Damn it... I don't know what to do. I'd hug the poor girl, but well... that would more than likely just make this all worse. So, so much worse.-

"It's all so cliched..." she continued, not reacting to me. "Most popular girl in school falls for the tall, mysterious transfer student... It's like a bad anime plot or something, only it's really happening..." Another bitter laugh. "I'm so messed up... what do I even do now...?"

I sighed. "...I don't know. I can't tell you how to live your life and..." I looked away from her. "...I've caused enough damage as it is."

"Ha... I really am stupid..." said Yukari. "...Now I've gone and upset you, too..."

I took off my hat and ran my hand through my hair, turning away from her completely. "Well... I just found out I basically stomped all over your heart without even realizing it, Yukari... What did you expect me to do, not care?"

"...No... I don't even know what I expected..."

I sighed. -There is just no way this will end well if I keep talking...-

"You don't know that." said Pharos. "So stick around a little longer."

-Man, I don't even know what to say!- I thought. -But... fine. If it makes it worse though, I'm gonna punch you again.-

I ended up staring quietly out at the city for about ten minutes. It seemed to take that long for Yukari to notice I hadn't left.

"...Why are you still here?" she asked. Sounded more surprised than upset, at least. "Don't you have someone else to see...?"

And there in lies the problem of how my head works. Part of me always wants to help, but... this time I can't really do anything without making it worse. -...Although...-

"...Want me to give you some space?"

"...Yeah... just for a little while..."

I sighed "Okay, just... promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"...Okay, but..." I heard her shifting around. "...Just... let me have one thing first..."

I turned around. "What thing-"

The answer was a kiss. It lasted barely more than a few moments, and she stepped back quickly after she let go of my neck, seeing as she had to yank my head down a fair bit.

"...That..." she said quietly, slowly moving back to the bench she'd been seated on. "...Just that..."

I stared at Yukari quietly, then took a step towards the door. "...Alright. I'll see you later, Yukari."

"...Yeah. See you later, Roy."

**CRASH**

-Now is not the time, you.-

* * *

><p>I left Yukari alone on the roof, feeling like a massive jackass the whole way back to the dorm. Hamuko and Aigis seemed to notice, but they didn't say anything... at least not that night. I got heckled at lunch the next day by Hamuko while Aigis was just listening intently as we talked. Eventually they got me to spill what'd happened with Yukari... and well, yeah. At least Aigis didn't get mad about it.<p>

The slightly awkward atmosphere hung around for another day or two before Shinjiro got to come back to the dorm. And he made... quite an entrance once I got a look at him.

"...Jesus fuck, Vaisravana?" I asked as he walked in, Hamuko latched to his arm. "Good lord man, and here I thought your relatives were scary..."

He laughed a little. "Should've seen their faces when they found out. Asami's was priceless."

"Kaede thought it was awesome, though." noted Hamuko with a giggle. "I don't think she'll ever find Shinji to be very scary."

"Regardless, I'm glad you've recovered." said Mitsuru. "We've fallen behind on our expeditions to Tartarus out of concern..."

Junpei flipped a page in his magazine. "It was Hamuko's idea."

Shinjiro just looked at the pinkette on his arm, who gave him a sheepish smile.

"I didn't wanna leave you out because you were hurt..."

He just sighed and shook his head. "Then let's head to the tower tonight. I'm so sick of sitting still, I'll go nuts if we stay in."

"Sounds like a plan to me." I said, dodging bullet hell on Perfect Cherry Blossom.

"A-Are you sure you'll be alright, senpai?" asked Fuuka.

"He'll be fine." scoffed Akihiko, who was polishing his boxing gloves. "If he's stir crazy you can't stop him anyways."

-And we'll get to see the three new Personas in action.- I thought. -I expect to be utterly terrified by Shinjiro's.-

* * *

><p>Naturally, I took Shinjiro and Hamuko up in the first group once we got to Tartarus. Aigis and Junpei also came along, though as it turns out with Shinjiro, he probably could just run solo through the entire tower and not give a damn. I say that because he seems to have gotten better at dropping rocks on everything. Also, Vaisravana is... interesting. A vast departure from Castor in terms of appearance.<p>

Easily taller than Anansi or Shade by a good three feet, and wearing a long burgundy coat. Intricate gold thread patterns were sewn into the lower parts of the coat around the legs, and a heavy belt with a gold buckle held the jacket closed at the waist. Heavy black boots covered its legs up to just below the knees, while sand color armor was strapped to its thighs. Although the jacket had long sleeves, similar sandy brown armor was strapped to Vaisravana's biceps and torso. The torso piece also depicted the head of a tiger with glowing eyes. More pieces of sand colored armor covered the hands and fingers, while a large spear was held in the Persona's right hand. The tip of the spear resembled a bolt of lightning with its jagged appearance, though a flower adorned the weapon right at the base of the spear's tip. The bottom of the spear's shaft had three gold colored, diamond shaped rings on it, with the one closest to the base of the spear having a small chain hanging off, connected to a likewise small pagoda. The orb within the pagoda glowed a faint, pale yellow. The Persona's head was very much obscured, with a triangular shaped helmet that matched the color of the rest of its armor. A neck guard with a crimson flower symbol etched onto it covered the entire neck and some of the head. The only exposed part was near the back of the head, where hair that looked like a tiger's fur poked out.

To be fair, it didn't look too intimidating at first. Then when Shinjiro used a new skill it learned, the mouth of the tiger head on its torso opened up and it just straight-up ate an entire Shadow.

"...Well, I'm gonna have nightmares for like a week." commented Junpei, staring at Vaisravana as the Persona vanished.

"I dunno, I thought that was fuckin' metal." I said. "Like holy shit, that was more intense than Anansi's Life Drain..."

Shinjiro chuckled. "Rend Asunder. I was testing it out, since apparently it'll keep me on my feet longer."

I whistled. "Damn, that's cool..."

"Oh, I'll show you cool~!"

The sound of the musical riff that always accompanied Hamuko's Persona when she summoned with her Music Player Evoker reverberated through the tower as she finally summoned her new Persona, Usas, directly.

If I didn't know better, I would have sworn Hamuko was throwing an angel out at things. At the least, it was a complete 180 to Vaisravana. A snow white figure in a blue wrap around dress - I forget the actual name if it even has one - with a snowflake pattern on the hemming of it. A see-through blue veil covered hair that matched Hamuko's, and a pair of wings that looked like they were made out of ice appeared as she kicked up a blizzard, slicing and freezing several Shadows to death. It was serene to watch, oddly enough.

"Is it merely my optics malfunctioning, or does Hamuko-san's Persona resemble her a great deal?" asked Aigis.

"Nah, Ai-chan... it does." said Junpei. "At least it's not scary as hell like Shinjiro-san's is... Hey, Roy, you seein' that over there?"

Eyebrow. "Over where?"

"Next to the wall Shinjiro-san busted apart." he said, indicating a now very exposed room on account of a wall being half gone. "Isn't that one of those things you have to find?"

Sure enough, it certainly resembled the rooms we found the Pocket Watch Time Stopper and Laser Pagoda in. This one had different markings on the wall, though, and the item sitting in it was some kind of fan. A really big one.

"The hell is this?" I asked. "The room's the same, but... this isn't what the last of the things I need to find is."

"What is?" asked Hamuko.

"Last item was supposed to be an umbrella, not a fan..." I stated, picking up and inspecting the fan as best I could. "Oof! Good lord, this thing is heavy..."

Hamuko looked at it curiously. "That's an interesting pattern for a hand fan..."

"Wonder what it-" I began, only to stagger and drop the fan, which suddenly sprang open, doubled in size, and then butterflies or something started flying out of it at high speed. I think they took out part of the ceiling.

"Holy shit, what the hell!"

"I dunno, Junpei!" I called out over the racket of a bunch of apparently exploding butterflies crashed into the ceiling on the next floor up. "Shit's going crazy!"

"I got it!"

With a loud grunt, the explosions stopped. I got the chance to look again, and Shinjiro had gotten the fan closed. I picked it up and stuffed it into one of the SD cards.

"Okay, let's try to be more careful with random shit we find in here..." I said. "Because holy hell that was freaky..."

"It was quite startling..." agreed Aigis.

_{I-Is everyone alright?}_

"Yeah, we're fine, Fuuka..." I replied. "Let's just keep movin' on..."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - I LIVE! And also, today is January 21st, 2014. Why is that important? Why, it's Roy's 21st birthday! I finished this chapter up about two days ago but waited till today to post it because of reasons. And yes, this chapter is freaking HUGE. I've had a fair bit of time to work on it frequently between my brain chugging along on the reworked Norimoto Style. I technically have about two chapters of it done and could post them, but I think I'll wait a bit before I do.

Anyways, I'm sure Roy's grandfather was a surprise to see! And he knows Shinjiro's. Sure as hell is a small world with these people, innit? But can you spot the character references with him, Daichi, and Katsuro? The latter might be hardest, but the first two are from the same series! I didn't change the name of one of them, either! I think I have a few too many cameos in the family trees... Hamuko's especially. But Tenshi Kirijo was the best. Why? She's Jenna Angel from DDS. Guess who her associates are, since she's not evil in this timeline. Go on, guess! It's gonna be great. Especially with a certain cameo next chapter... mwehehehehe.


	24. Origins

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Delta XIII** - OF COURSE I AM! I'M FREAKING EVIL! MWHAHAHAHA!

**rsdk525** - If by 'the Yukari Problem' you mean how she acted in the Answer, what happened in chapter 23 plus the upcoming other ranks of her social link will be the solution. Kinda hard to be crazy 'end the world to see them again' stupid when there's no love to make you crazy.

**Takeshi Yamato** - Dude, Minato does that in the original P3, The Journey Mode in FES, and his route in P3P. Any fanfic that goes the Tenchi Solution route would be covering game canon! But yeah, Yukari's scene was honestly both fun and painful to write. I'm not used to that sort of angsty stuff, really. But... I kinda needed to do it in order to make sure things were on the rails for later in the story so guess it's a necessary evil.

**Yeah Way** - Truth be told, the romance was originally planned to happen after the Hanged Man and Ikutsuk's Betrayal but when I was writing the last chapter, I got to right where Roy found Aigis at the top of the stairs when suddenly my brain went 'ROMANCE GO NOW DO IT' and then yeah, the ship now sails AT FULL POWER!

**We Thought It'd Be Funny** - You have not yet seen the full extent of how much Shinjiro ruins things now yet. January will be an interesting month in Reshuffled. Mwehehehe...

More thanks to **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts** for her continued assistance in getting my ass motivated to work on the story! And without further ado, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"Well, this is certainly an unusual artifact..."<p>

I arched an eyebrow as Elizabeth inspected the fan I'd found in Tartarus not but ten minutes ago, tops. "Do you know what it is?"

"I do, and what to do with it." she replied. "However, since it is not among the artifacts I requested you find as payment for our assistance, I shall reward you."

"Really?"

She nodded, rifling through the Velvet Blue briefcase she always pulled the stuff she gave me out of. "Indeed. I'm quite impressed; Despite this not being what I requested, you still thought to bring it to me. Quite unusual among the guests we've had."

"It is?" I asked. "Geez, what kinda people have you dealt with before?"

"All sorts, Master Roy." said Elizabeth, finally pulling out the reward from the briefcase. "All sorts."

She handed a set of clothes to me, and I couldn't help but think I'd seen them before.

"I believe these garments shout fit one of your companions." she stated. "Though, I am not sure as to which..."

I arched an eyebrow. "...Looks like these would fit one of the girls..." I glanced up at Elizabeth. "Where do you get this stuff?"

She smiled knowingly. "The realm of human thought is quite the wondrous place, Master Roy. Such items are simple to locate there."

"...Huh." I said, looking at the outfit again before carefully folding it back up. "I'll take your word for it..."

Elizabeth giggled. "Of course. As I am a resident of the Velvet Room, the realm of human thought is the closest I've been to your world outside of our excursions. A shame, really... it seems like such a fascinating place."

"To you, I'm sure it does." I laughed.

"You don't find your world fascinating?" she asked, sounding surprised. "Despite knowing what you do now?"

I shrugged. "I grew up there, and I'm used to it all. What seems fantastical to you is mundane to me, and the reverse is likely true as well. It's a matter of perspective, origins, and mentality."

"I see... so were you in my position, you might find your world astounding, while I would not were I in yours."

"Yeah, something like that."

"Fascinating... I suppose such a line of thought is highly plausible." noted Elizabeth. "It would certainly explain why this realm does not appeal to me as much as your own..."

I chuckled. "Yeah, probably."

"I see ... That is a perspective I have not considered before." she said, smiling at me. "Thank you for that, Master Roy."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Pierrot Arcana..._

-Cool.- "You're welcome, Liz."

* * *

><p>We left Tartarus after that. All the resolved Personas were letting us tear through the tower faster than we had before, especially with Shinjiro in the mix. I'm terrified to imagine what would happen if he was a Wild Card. I doubt there'd be much of Tartarus left at this point if he was, honestly. That aside, Koromaru insisted I be the one to take him for a walk the next morning and we headed to the shrine. I dunno why he was so insistent, but I know he wasn't happy once we got there, and neither was I.<p>

"Ha! Shoulda stayed home, freak!" shouted one of the thugs as he pushed Akinari to the ground. "Ya look like you're gonna keel over any second."

"Think he's got any money on him?" asked another thug.

"Who knows. Check his pockets." said the third, and it was at that point I recognized the lot of them.

Those assholes from June just cannot seem to not start shit when I'm around.

"Morning, gents." I called out. "What seems to be the problem?"

One of them turned around, then started elbowing the ring leader. "B-Boss, it's him again! The Oni!"

'Boss' turned, then looked at me and narrowed his eyes. "You pick the worst times to show up, gaijin."

Koromaru started growling

"Easy, Koro." I said, kneeling down and patting his head a few times as I kept my eyes on the thugs. Akinari was looking in my direction. Didn't seem too beat up, thankfully, but it seemed like there were some scrapes on his face. "But seriously, the hell are you guys doing?"

"None of your damn business, that's what!" exclaimed the 'Boss'. "Just get the hell outta here. We're just chattin' with stripes here."

"B-Boss, he don't look happy..." noted one of the others. This one seems to actually have a double digit IQ, so he gets to be Brains.

"Who cares?" scoffed the third. Sounds like dumb muscle. Calling him Brawn. "It's just one guy and a dog."

Koromaru started growling again. This time I made no effort to try stopping him.

"Y-Yeah, but-!"

"Man, shut up!" snapped Boss. "If you're so scared, just keep an eye on stripes while we deal with the gaijin!"

The trio started arguing amongst themselves, and I lowered my head to whisper to Koromaru.

"I'm gonna get one of them to come at us, okay?" I said quietly. "When I do, pick an idiot and start biting. You'll get a treat once we're back at the dorm."

A small nod was Koro's response as I stood up.

"It's not like anybody comes around this damn shrine often anyways!" continued the Boss, still arguing with his two lackeys. "So quit complaining and let's teach this guy a lesson and ransack this stupid place!"

"Oh no, mugging, trespassing, defacing public property, AND petty theft!" I commented sarcastically. "I'm shaking in my size twelve boots!"

Brawn looked at me with rage in his eyes. "Shut up, gaijin! I'm gonna teach you some manners!"

I'll admit, he was kinda buff for a like, five foot four inches tall Japanese person. Then again, so is Hamuko. He swung, I blocked, then flipped his stupid ass over my shoulder and onto the ground behind me. Koro wasted no time jumping on the guy and snarling in his face. Brawn tried to shove him off, only to get a very angry dog now biting down on his arm. I turned around in time for one of the other two to deck me in the face. I didn't even feel it that much because Shade resists blunt strikes like that.

I arched an eyebrow at the guy as I turned my head to look at him. "I'm sorry, did you hit me?"

Boss, as it turned out to be, socked me in the gut. Again, hardly felt a thing. Barely even moved when he hit me.

"That it?"

Now he was mad. He just started punching me over and over until I got bored and grabbed his face.

"Well, that was quite the savage tickling there." I commented as the Boss tried in vain to get me off him. Even tried for a cheap shot below the belt, but he couldn't exactly aim well enough to hit anything besides my shin.

"Let go of me, gaijin!"

I frowned. "Look man, just take your stupid friends and leave. Got it?"

"Whatever, just let go!"

So I let go. Predictably, he wasted no time trying to tackle me to the ground. I hardly budged, and then grabbed him around the torso and held him upside down.

"And what did you learn?" I asked as the guy kept trying to hit me. Smacking me in the knees and gut and whatnot. It was more annoying than dangerous, though I think having Persona bullshit is making me too complacent with dealing with normal people.

"Put me down!"

I shrugged. "You got it. Koro, come here!"

The growling behind me stopped, followed by the jingle of Koromaru's tags on his collar before I noticed the Shiba sitting down next to my leg.

"Good boy." I said, then I turned and tossed Boss at Brawn, who was clutching his arm with a rather nasty set of bite marks on it. I turned towards the Smart One, who was staring at me like he'd seen a monster. "...What?"

"S-Stay away from me, Oni!" he stammered, backing away from me. "You and that ghost!"

I didn't get the chance to ask what the hell he was on about before he just ran away as fast as he could go, totally bailing on his two friends who were finally getting up off the ground.

"That's it!" snapped the Boss, pulling a knife out of his pocket. "I'm gonna-!"

My head snapped to look right at Koromaru when I heard the growl he was making. It sounded like Cerberus, three heads and all... but it was just coming from Koromaru alone. And he did not look like a happy fun Shiba Inu right now.

"B-Boss, that dog ain't right...!" said the Big Guy. "It messed up my arm good, let's get the hell outta here!"

Boss didn't have any more fight left in him and just nodded, running for it with his buddy right behind him.

Now that the idiots were gone, I hurried over to Akinari.

"Hey! You okay?" I asked, helping him up carefully.

He nodded slowly as I walked him over to the bench. "Y-Yes... I arrived a little earlier than usual and found them attempting to break into the shrine. They didn't seem too happy about that..."

"I noticed." I said as we sat down. Koromaru had wandered off, since something apparently caught his interest.

Akinari let out a heavy sigh. "I hate this sickness. I can barely walk on my own, and every day it feels like all that's left is to just draw my sheets around me and count the beats of my heart until they stop forever... why is this happening to me?"

"I couldn't tell ya. You'd have to ask a deity or two probably."

He let out a wry chuckle. "Most likely. I understand my illness, but... I don't understand why I have it. There's no meaning to life that I can find, though perhaps I'm not missing all that much."

"Hard to say." I said. "The only person who can tell you what the meaning of your life is would be yourself. For some, it is to fight and struggle to their dying breath. For others, it is to let fate sweep them away to wherever it wills to take them. For the rest... find a way to make the world as bright a place as they can before the end. Or at least, that's what I think on the matter."

"I see... quite an interesting outlook you have." he noted. "But, as I said before you are a strange one. You never appear to feel out of place, or have a cruel word to say. Honest to the point of fault."

I shrugged. "That's just how I am. Or at least, how I'd like to be..."

"What's stopping you?"

"...I dunno." I sighed. "I guess... I'm scared. There's some things about me that I worry will make people not want to be around me anymore."

"Ah, a burden of the mind..." said Akinari. "I know them as well as I know the burden of my illness. If I could run away, I would... but my body is no longer capable of running from anything. No matter what, it will remind me of my fate..."

I looked at him. "So you'll just let it sweep you away?"

"I have little choice in the matter..."

"Everyone has a choice." I said. "Even if I'm afraid of what some truths could cause, I still fight to see the world become brighter."

Another wry laugh escaped Akinari. "If you can fight from the darkness to see the light, then perhaps I too should struggle to see it for myself."

I laughed as well. "Your own strength might surprise you, Akinari."

"You may be right, Roy." he said. "You may be right."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Sun Arcana..._

-Wonderful.-

A short whine drew my attention, and Koromaru was walking over to me. Something seemed to be bothering him.

"What's wrong, little buddy?" I asked, scratching behind his right ear as he sat down at my feet.

He looked towards the shrine, then back at me. He still seemed kinda down.

"This dog... he used to belong to the monk that lived here, yes?"

I looked at Akinari. "Yeah. His name's Koromaru."

"Hrm... perhaps something has reminded him of his master?" offered the dying man. "Or perhaps another memory?"

I turned back to Koro, and he was staring at an empty space.

"...You miss him, huh?" I asked, scratching behind his ears again.

Another low whine came from Koromaru, and his ears drooped a little.

"Hey, c'mon." I said, ruffling the fur on the top of his head. "I know we're not quite the same, but you've got everyone back at the dorm looking out for you."

He seemed to perk up, and he looked at me with big eyes.

I smiled. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I promised you a treat for getting after that one guy."

His tail started wagging and he barked happily.

"He's very intelligent." noted Akinari.

"I've seen him work a TV remote." I laughed. "He sure isn't a dummy."

"I see... and I have to agree with your statement before."

Eyebrow. "Oh?"

Akinari nodded. "Yes... as long as you have others who care for you, it is impossible to be alone." he smiled weakly. "Even at my worst, knowing my dear mother worries about me makes it bearable."

I looked at Koromaru. "See, little buddy? He's got the right idea."

The Shiba barked again, standing up with his tail still wagging.

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Strength Arcana..._

-Woo, now go away.-

* * *

><p>Me and Koro stuck around for a little while longer to chat with Akinari before we headed back to the dorm. We were almost back when we started hearing something coming from the rooftops, and it only got louder as we got closer to the dorm.<p>

-...The hell is that noise?- I thought as Koromaru and I walked into the lounge. Within three seconds of doing so, Akihiko came barreling down the stairs and grabbed me by the arm.

"Hurry up, you gotta see this!" he said, dragging me and by extension Koromaru since I still had the leash on him.

"The hell are you talking about?" I sputtered, trying to not trip over the stairs, the dog, OR Akihiko. "See what?"

I got my answer when we finally got to the roof, where everyone else was sitting in lawn chairs and watching Shinjiro and Katsuro stand on opposite sides of the roof.

I arched an eyebrow as Hamuko took Koromaru's leash from me and got him to sit on her lap.

"...I say again, what the hell?"

"Katsuro-san insisted on having a duel with Shinjiro-san." replied Aigis, who motioned to an empty chair next to her. "Please, have a seat Roy."

I glanced at the Aragaki brothers as I sat down. Katsuro was stretching, while Shinjiro seemed to be making practice swings with a wooden sword. A bokken, if I'm not mistaken about the word for it.

"Are you ready, little brother?" asked Katsuro, dramatically holding his right hand in front of his face. "My sword hand twitches."

"How long have you been waiting to say that, Katsu? Actually, nevermind, don't answer that..." said Shinjiro. "I think I already know..."

"Does the air taste like bacon to anyone else?" asked Pharos. "Or is it just me?"

-Nah, I'm getting that too.- I thought. -I still can't believe Shinjiro is related to that big of a ham.-

Katsuro just laughed. "I'm sure you do." he picked up a bokken of his own. "Ready?"

Shinjiro matched his brother's stance. "Ready."

"Have at me!"

And quickly the two started getting down to the business of beating the living shit out of each other with pieces of wood. In a related story, seeing Shinjiro actually fight with some degree of finesse is weird.

"Daichi appears to have taught them quite well..."

I looked over my shoulder, surprised to find Rowen standing there. "Gramps? When did you get here?"

"Around the same time Katsuro did." he replied. "Wanted to stop by one last time before I left the country."

"Ah, cool." I said, turning my head back to the fight.

With every loud 'CLACK' that came from the two wooden blades colliding, I was amazed they didn't snap in half.

"Look at them go..." said Fuuka sounding amazed. "I didn't know senpai could fight like that."

"Neither did I..." added Mitsuru.

I heard Akihiko chuckle. "Been a long time since I've seen these two go at it. I'm only surprised Shinji doesn't seem to have gotten rusty since then."

I just kept watching the fight, and I started noticing something odd. At least about how Shinjiro was fighting, anyways. Some of the motions appeared vastly different compared to Katsuro's. Like someone else taught him them, but... they didn't seem to be actual sword swings. Too showy, especially when seen beside how his brother was fighting. Of course, some of Shinjiro's other moves just clearly shouted 'Fuck everything, I'm going to ruin you' in execution so maybe it's just his own spin on some of the moves.

"Not bad, Shinji!" said Katsuro as they locked wooden blades again. "But you still don't-"

"Hassou Tobi."

I had to double take as Shinjiro swung once and somehow struck Katsuro EIGHT TIMES. How he did it, much less how Katsuro blocked them, was beyond me.

"Ha! Finally got that move down, did you?" commented Katsuro. "Ah, still brings a tear to my eye that one of my students pulled it off..."

"That kid'll be a monster in tournaments." said Shinjiro, resting his bokken on his shoulder for a moment.

"Astra!"

Shinjiro barely managed to catch that. It seemed like a lesser version of that move he'd used a second ago – only five hits instead of eight.

"Darn, thought that one would surprise you..." hummed Katsuro, his bokken still locked against Shinjiro's.

"Good try, though-"

"HASSOU TOBI!"

Next thing I know, and both of the bokken have been smashed to pieces. Shinjiro's especially, while Katsuro's only split in half.

"My version's still a bit better, though." Katsuro chuckled, looking at the broken hunk of wood in his hand. "And I should get more of these... they're better made than most others I've used."

"I noticed..." commented Shinjiro as he looked at the five or six broken pieces of his own weapon on the ground.

"I'm amazed there's not pieces of those things stuck in the roof..." said Junpei. "And that there still IS a roof!"

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "They would have to fix the damage they caused in the latter case, Iori."

"...Still a cool fight." said Ken.

"Dude, that's the sort of sword fighting bullshit you see in VIDEO GAMES!" exclaimed Junpei. "Especially those freakin - how do you - WHAT LAWS OF LOGIC ALLOW FOR ONE STRIKE TO BECOME FIVE? Not even touching on EIGHT!"

"You might not want to see our grandfather fight them." said Katsuro. "Daichi... well, we're fairly certain he beat logic to a pulp once."

Rowen laughed. "That certainly sounds like something he would do. Keiko as well, as I recall."

Shinjiro's expression fell a bit. "...Yeah."

Katsuro didn't waste a moment putting an arm around his brother. "Hey, c'mon. You know she liked it better when you smile, Shinji."

"...Yeah, I know." he said with a sigh.

Just from his reaction, I wager whoever they're talking about is a now dearly departed relative. Two months ago and that probably would've shocked me, but now... I'm still amazed at just how much Shinjiro's family means to him. I can't even really begin to imagine what it's like, even with my family tree being what it is...

"Hey, it's almost dinner time." said Hamuko, looking at her watch... -Wait, when did she get that?- "Shinji, you mind helping me cook?"

He chuckled. "Not at all. Let's go, I'm starving now..."

Most of the others filed down the stairs with Shinjiro and Hamuko, leaving me, Aigis, Rowen, and Katsuro on the roof.

"...Sorry for bringing that up, Katsuro." Rowen apologized as the elder Aragaki brother picked up the broken sword pieces.

"It's fine." he replied. "He doesn't get as upset about it as he used to, thankfully."

"That's good..." said Rowen before he turned to me. "But, before I forget, I have something for you, Roy."

Eyebrow. "What?"

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small box and handed it to me.

"It never hurts to keep your skills sharp, you know." He said as I took the box. It was a little heavy.

-...Wait a minute.- "...Are these metal playing cards?"

"Of course. What else would you use?"

I looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, true. Not like you can just buy tiny throwing knives like yours here..."

Katsuro looked up. "Knives?"

On cue, a small knife was suddenly imbedded in the last remaining chunk of bokken on the roof.

"Indeed." said Rowen, lowering his arm. "I'll be needing that back, though."

"I did not know a human could throw an object at that speed..." commented Aigis, sounding amazed.

"You should see Roy in action, then." chuckled my grandfather. "He's actually better than I am, though I suppose his youth is a factor in that."

Katsuro suddenly looked at me very nervously. "...You can throw knives too?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah. I stick to cards though..."

"Hence the metal ones."

I smirked. "Naturally."

"...Remind me to never leave you in the kitchen with Shinjiro." said Katsuro, shuddering slightly. "He's scary enough as it is..."

-He can thrown knives too? Dear god, NOTHING IS SAFE FROM SHINJIRO.-

"Speaking of him, though, let's get downstairs." he continued, handing the knife back to Rowen. "It's been way too long since I've had some of Shinji's cooking."

"I wonder how much he's improved..." Rowen wondered aloud as Katsuro slipped through the door. "I'll have to get going afterwards, though. Early flight home tomorrow."

I gave my grandfather a hug. "It was still nice to see you again, Gramps."

He patted me on the back. "It was nice to see you again too, Roy."

* * *

><p>We headed downstairs with Aigis to get dinner after that. I was still kinda bummed Grandpa Rowen couldn't stick around longer... I wanted to see if he'd teach me that one thing he does that's kind of fucking awesome, but oh well. There's always another time. I also made a discovery about the metal cards Rowen gave me after he left; The edges have been sharpened. I'm still wondering how he pulled that off, and he doesn't even have a lame excuse like 'Screw the rules, I have money' or anything. Then again, he's always been crazy resourceful...<p>

Anyway, we had the next day off from school and almost everyone was doing something around the middle of the day, which ended up leaving me and Ken alone in the lounge. I was sketching on one of the couches while Ken was watching TV on the other.

"Ah man..." sighed Ken. "Featherman's not on for another hour..."

"That sucks." I said, glancing at Mira's enclosure. I brought it down because she's napping or something on one of the little logs in there and I wanted to see how well I could sketch her. "Not even re-runs?"

"Nope..." he replied. "Nothing else good on, either..."

I hummed. "Double lame."

"...If you weren't trying to draw her, I'd ask if I could hold Mira..." he said after a minute. "I've never seen a spider that big..."

"That's tarantulas for ya." I chuckled. "Industrial strength eight-legged pest control."

Ken hummed, still staring into her enclosure. "...Is she sleeping?"

I shrugged. "Beats me, but she did just eat so she might just be letting her food settle."

"I still cannot believe how many crickets that spider can eat." said Pharos. "It's crazy."

-She's just got a big appetite.- I thought. -...Hrm. But speaking of crazy...- "Y'know Ken, you looked pretty intensely focused on that brawl Shinjiro and Katsuro had yesterday. Like, moreso than the rest of us save Hamuko." I looked over at him. "Something on your mind?"

"...Kinda, yeah." he admitted. "I guess .. well, now that I'm actually thinking about what I'm doing... I'm kind of realizing just how lucky I was when I decided to charge ahead without getting his side of the story."

"What, lucky in that Shinjiro's a very decent person who's way too hard on himself?" I asked. "Because if so, yeah that's probably a good thing. I mean, props to ya for being courageous and all, but there's a thin line between bravery and sheer stupidity when it comes to poking a sleeping dragon in the eye with a knife."

He nodded. "Yeah... if he hadn't felt as bad as he did, he'd have probably beaten the crap outta me if I tried to fight him..."

"He beats the crap out of everything, though." I noted, still sketching. "Shadows and Akihiko especially."

"Akihiko-san tends to have it coming, though."

I laughed. "Good point, but still. He kinda wrecks things..." I paused. "...Geez, I just realized something."

"What?"

"Technically, he was dying when I first met him and his Persona was STILL strong enough to trigger some kind of terror response from mine." I said. "Like, I almost literally couldn't breathe. And he's only recently started to fully recover from those suppressants he was taking from what I understand." I looked at Ken. "And he was still just obliterating Shadows back when he first came back to SEES. While closer to the 'dying' end of the spectrum."

Ken's face paled. "...R-Really?"

"Yeah. Even if he wasn't operating at full strength, he still probably could've splattered you across a few walls in another country." I said. "You really dodged a bullet with him, Ken."

"...Ha... I wonder, though..."

Eyebrow. "Wonder what?"

"What made him so kind beneath it all." he said. "Even to me..."

I shrugged again. "You'd have to ask him yourself. I probably couldn't tell you to any degree of accuracy."

"I would, but..." Ken shrunk into his shirt a little. "...I don't know if he'd be willing to talk to me about it."

"I think he would."

He looked up at me. "Why?"

"Well, look at how he is and his reactions to his family." I said. "He clearly hasn't seen them in a while, and from what I know he doesn't want people to worry about him. Granted, there's the likes of Hamuko, Akihiko, and me to name a few who just worry anyways. Plus given how he's only really had Akihiko to talk to before the lot of us showed up and Akihiko's... well..."

"A blithering idiot?"

I tried to not laugh. Pharos didn't. "Yeah, that. So... having someone to talk to about this sort of thing would probably be pretty welcome for him."

Ken hummed, looking like he was thinking intensely about what we've been talking about. It took him a minute, but he started nodding a little.

"...Alright. I'll think about it." he looked at me and smiled nervously. "Thank you, Roy-san."

I smiled back. "You're welcome, Ken."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Devil Arcana..._

-Sweet.-

I heard the door open as I returned my attention back to my sketch.

"Hey, we're back-" The words where then cut off by manly fainting noises and a dull thud. I looked over the back of the couch and Akihiko was passed out on the floor, Mitsuru standing in the doorway with her hand on her face.

"I swear I didn't know when you guys would be back." I said almost immediately. "I've been sketching."

Mitsuru simply sighed. "Please take the spider back to your room, Fortune. I'll deal with Akihiko."

"You got it, boss."

* * *

><p>As I found out, much to my amusement, Mitsuru's means of dealing with Akihiko was to chill the air around her hand and then stick it down the back of his shirt. He woke up with another one of his shrill, girlish screams. Thankfully I already got Mira back to my room before that happened. Wouldn't wanna have a cranky spider on my hands. The rest of the day wasn't anything super special enough to go over, beyond Aigis using me as a means to escape from Hamuko, though she wouldn't tell me why.<p>

The rest of the week was Exams and those just dragged on SO BAD OH MY GOD. I was astounded by how boring they managed to be with Ekoda long gone. I did start noticing some odd posters around the school and Port Island halfway through the week, though. Something about swords, I think. I didn't actually bother reading them till the last day of exams ended.

"Wait, what?" I asked aloud as I walked back to the dorm with Shinjiro, Hamuko, Aigis, and Fuuka. "There's going to be a sword fighting exhibition at Gekkoukan? Why there of all places?"

"Well, the gymnasium is very large." Fuuka pointed out. "It was used for a Kendo Tournament last year, too."

Shinjiro chuckled. "But check out who the exhibitionists are."

I scanned the paper quickly till I found the names. "...Oh, well, that explains everything."

"What?"

Aigis looked around my arm to get a look a the flyer in my hands. "Daichi-san and Katsuro-san will be the ones performing."

"I figured there was more to Daichi coming here than just visiting me and the rest of the family." said Shinjiro. "Especially with bringing Katsuro along. Figured he had some sort of exhibition going on, just didn't think it'd be here... I wonder if the kendo coach invited him or something..."

I arched an eyebrow at the bottom. "Says it was made possible by Asami Fredrickson, Sasuke Yamato, and... is Daisuke Gintoki the kendo coach?"

"That is correct, Roy." replied Aigis.

"Huh... wonder why Yamato-sensei is on there." I commented. "He's the MMA Club's coach. I don't even have to guess with Asami-sensei, though."

Shinjiro sighed. "That explains things even more... she needs to stop butting into things so much."

"Awww, I'm sure she's just worried about you Shinji!" said Hamuko.

"More like overly worried..." he grumbled.

"Can you blame me, though?" asked a voice from behind us. "With Sadao and Kimiko gone, there's nobody but Roland to help me keep you out of trouble."

A loud groan escaped Shinjiro as everyone else turned around to see Asami standing behind us, Roland and Kaede naturally in tow.

"Hi~!" giggled the little girl from her father's shoulders.

"I still wanna know how you do that..." grumbled Shinjiro. "What brings you around this time?"

Roland shrugged as best he could with Kaede on his shoulders. "Oh you know, this and that. A friend from the old days is calling a little reunion."

"And the route to said reunion leads you past our dorm?" I asked.

Asami shook her head as the lot of us started walking again. "No, I was actually hoping Shinji wouldn't mind looking after Kaede for us tomorrow. She wanted to see the Exhibition."

"Grandpa and Kastu-nii-san~!" exclaimed the little girl. "It's gonna be really cool!"

"Tch..." grunted Shinjiro, slowing down enough to keep pace with Roland. Kaede wasted no time hopping onto his shoulders. "Like you even have to ask."

The little pinkette swayed her head back and forth. "Hey hey, can Hamu-nee-san come too?"

"Of course!" replied Hamuko.

Fuuka giggled. "Aragaki-senpai is lucky to have a family like that, don't you think Roy-kun?"

"Yeah." I admitted. "But I doubt it'd be easy to get him to admit it."

* * *

><p>Kaede kept going on and on about how excited she was the whole time we went back to the dorm, though she went home with her parents. Aigis, meanwhile, was insistent on getting to spend all of Sunday with me, though much to her disappointment Mitsuru needed her assistance for most of the day. I had to promise to spend all of Tuesday after MMA club with her to get her to stop pouting.<p>

I ended up sleeping in a bit the next day, though to my surprise Junpei hadn't.

"You're up early." I commented, walking into the kitchen to get some breakfast. "Well, for a weekend anyways."

"I had a hard time sleepin'." he admitted from the dining room table. "Couldn't stop thinkin'..."

I leaned back so my head was peeking out from the kitchen door as I poured myself some cereal. My eyebrow was naturally arched. "You were thinking so hard you couldn't sleep? Dude, you feeling okay?"

"Oh ha ha, very funny." he grumbled, glaring at me.

I rolled my eyes, ducking back into the kitchen as I finished getting my breakfast and then sitting out at the table across from him.

"I'm just messin', man." I said. "What's got you so outta whack?"

"...It's Chidori." he sighed. "I think I've hit a wall when it comes to talking to her... I can't come up with anything interesting to talk about, and I just... feel like I'm annoying her." He looked at me pleadingly. "What should I do, man?"

Eyebrow. "Why're you asking me like I'm some kind of Love Guru?"

"Well I figured since you and Ai-chan are dating, you could-"

I started coughing so I didn't choke on my cereal. "What! Where did you...?"

"Dude, it could only be more obvious if you two were wearing neon signs that said you liked each other." replied Junpei, the most casual expression ever on his face. "I mean seriously. I'd have been surprised if you two weren't a thing."

I just stared at him, halfway between embarrassed and plotting murder. "M'kay then."

"But seriously. You and Ai-chan are together, so..." he scratched his head. "...Man, I dunno. I was hoping you could tell me something that'd make talking to Chidori easier... I mean... well..."

"You've got a massive crush on her because she's really sweet, doesn't judge you, and for bonus points is really cute?"

"Yeah, ex-" He stopped and his jaw hung open. "Wait, how-?"

I smirked. "Because that's what I thought of Aigis before we started dating."

"...Ah." hummed Junpei, closing his mouth as his face turned a little red. "W-Well, yeah... that's what's goin' through my head."

"Well if you want my advice?" I asked. "Just keep doing what you're doing already. She's pretty damn blunt, so the moment something's bothering her? She'll tell you straight to your face." I looked at him seriously. "Has she said you're annoying her?"

"...No..."

I smiled. "Then you're fine, dude. Don't sweat it!"

"...I guess, but..." he said, sounding unsure of himself. "...I just... don't feel like I'm good enough for her, or if she even likes me the same way..."

I slammed a hand down on the table, startling Junpei. "Don't think like that. It's not true. Because you know what is obvious to me? She likes you. A lot. Comparably to how obvious it was that I like Aigis. So don't worry about a thing, man. I would never lie to you about this."

He seemed stunned. "...Really...?"

"Really." I said. "And I swear to that on pain of death."

It took him a minute, but he let out a short laugh. "Hehe... well, even if you didn't put it like that... You've never been one to pull my leg."

"Of course." I replied with a grin. "Especially when I see my wise-cracking best friend taking this sort of thing seriously." I chuckled. "And y'know, I think my prediction was more accurate than I expected."

He gave me a look. "Prediction?"

"That the heroes' best friend ends up with a hot girl who he swayed from her evil ways with his rugged good looks."

He stared at me, then stood up, walked around the table, and put his arm around my shoulder.

"Roy, you are the best friend a guy like me could ask for." he said, stroking his goatee. "Y'know that?"

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have out blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Magician Arcana..._

-Sweet.- "Well, I do now."

* * *

><p>Junpei and I left the dorm after we finished eating, though he headed for the Hospital again. Didn't even have to guess why, but for me I headed to Port Island after discovering Akinari wasn't around at the shrine. Shame really, I'd have liked to talk to him some more. Pharos was doing his usual physics defying goofing off as we got off the monorail.<p>

-You cannot take your status as a ghost seriously, can you?-

"Nope." he said, doing a one armed handstand and walking on his fingers. I don't even wanna know how he was keeping up with me like that. "Having too much fun with it."

"Ah, excuse me sir..."

I turned my head and a had to look down a little less than usual. Fairly tall guy, charcoal gray hair that seemed to stick out a bit near his neck. Dark blue jacket, light gray undershirt, jeans, black shoes... looked like he was about fifteen, but there was something about him that surprised and intrigued me.

-...Fool Arcana.- "Yes?"

"I'm looking for the Gekkoukan campus." he said. "Do you perhaps know how to get there?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I can show you the way."

His eyes narrowed a fraction, but he smiled slightly. "Ah, thank you. That would be quite helpful."

"No problem." I replied, and the two of us headed off for the school.

"Roy, he's-"

-I know, Pharos.- I thought. -The first one I've ever seen outside of looking in a damn mirror.-

"You lookin' to go to school at Gekkoukan?" I asked, some instinctual curiosity bubbling up. "Can't say I know many first years, but I haven't seen you around."

"Hrm? Oh, no." he replied. "I came to see the exhibition. Why, do you attend Gekkoukan?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Second year at the high school."

"Huh... interesting. I wouldn't have guessed you were a student."

I laughed. "Too tall?"

"Yes, I'd assumed you were at least in college..."

"You'd be the first." I admitted. "When I first got here, half the population thought I was a tourist."

He looked at me curiously. "How? You're fairly clearly Japanese..."

I laughed again. "Y'think so? I always thought I looked more American."

"Hrm, I suppose you do slightly..." he noted. "Though your manner of speech is too fluent to not be a native speaker."

"Guilty as charged." I chuckled. "But you said you came to see the exhibition?"

The Fool nodded. "Yes. I practice kendo and itajutsu, so naturally my interest was peaked. Especially once I saw the practitioners."

"Ah, I see. Any in particular? I didn't check the flyer for it myself..."

"Daichi and Katsuro Aragaki." he replied. "Two of the best in Japan."

Eyebrow. "Really? Daichi Aragaki is famous?" -That's actually news to me...-

"You don't know?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I don't keep up on the world of swordsmanship."

"He's likely the best swordsman in the world." stated the Fool. "Several Olympic medals and dozens of tournament championship trophies."

-Holy shit, I knew he was GOOD, but not THAT good!- "Wow, damn. Maybe I should check that out then..."

"I would highly recommend it, even if you're not one for swordsmanship." he said. "It's truly a sight to behold."

-Pharos, I have the strongest goddamn urge to say I'm a good friend of the dude's grandson. Think I should?-

"No, because if he actually believes you, he might go rabid on you. Or faint, either way it would be bad..." said Pharos. "Of course, that would be if he actually believes you..."

-Good point.- "Huh. I'll think about it then..."

"I dunno Roy, it sounds pretty cool." said Pharos. "I mean think about it; Shinjiro and Katsuro learned those impossible moves from Daichi probably. He's over twice their age combined."

-...So we're talking like anime style old master impossible badassery.-

"Yeah pretty much."

-...That does sound pretty cool. We're checking this shit out.- "So you been to one of these before?"

"A few, yes." replied the Fool. "Katsuro Aragaki was actually my instructor."

"Holy shit, really?" I asked. He nodded. "Damn, that's pretty cool."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "...You've heard of him?"

"Before now? No." I said, flawless poker face going. "Just surprised to find out you learned from one of them."

"...I see."

-...If this kid saw through that, I feel like I'm gonna be in deep shit down the line.-

"Roy, you got banned from three casinos at fourteen. Unless this kid's actually Sherlock Holmes reincarnated, you're fine."

-Good point.-

"Good grief... this campus is huge!" exclaimed the Fool. "I suppose it's good I opted to follow you rather than request directions... I'm not sure I could find the gymnasium here on my own."

I laughed as I led him past the school's gates. "Yeah, it's a big place. I'm lucky I made a few of my friends who led me around for the first few weeks."

"Indeed you are..."

* * *

><p>I lost track of the Fool once we made it to the gym, but I noticed another thing before he left. He had a Persona, too – Tsukuyomi. It felt... dormant, but it was certainly there. May have to see about listening for stuff about that thing somewhere down the line. That said, holy shit I knew Daichi was good, but what I saw durring that exhibition was another thing entirely. I shudder to imagine the sort of carnage his Persona could cause if he unleashed that thing on Tartarus. Once the whole thing was over, Pharos and I headed off. Surprisingly, though, I never spotted Shinjiro and Kaede in the crowd, but I figured they stuck around to talk to their relatives. This, naturally, left me walking back to the dorm with just Pharos who was gushing the entire way.<p>

"Those moves were freaking awesome!" he exclaimed, floating through the air a little and mimicking some of the motions as best he could. "Crazy awesome, even!"

I chuckled. -Y'know, I think this is one of the few times I've ever seen you actually be... y'know, a kid.-

"Hey, everybody's gotta have fun sometime." he said, still swinging around an imaginary sword.

-Yeah, true...- I admitted. A stray thought popped into my head after that, though. -...Hey, Pharos?-

"Yeah?"

-What do you think is gonna happen to you once the Arcana Shadows are gone?- I asked. -I mean, you're tied to me somehow, but you keep remembering things...-

He stopped his invisible swordsmanship, now sort of lazily hovering alongside me.

"...I dunno." he replied. "But... if I am a ghost, and I had some kind of life... none of it is coming back to me. I know there's something I have to remember, but I don't know what."

-That last Shadow probably has that memory.-

"Probably." Pharos agreed. "And... I find myself thinking about death a lot."

Eyebrow. -Really?-

"Yeah... and that 'end' I talked about before." he said. "Some people refer to it as 'The Fall', and something keeps telling me it's drawing closer..."

-Shit, we gonna have a full scale apocalypse on our hands?-

He shook his head. "I have no idea. For all I know, 'the Fall' could just be the end of Shadows or one of those metaphorical things like how the Death Arcana means change, not the end."

-Yeah... and I don't think we'll be able to web search the term or anything, and I honestly doubt there'd be anything about it that the Kirijo Group might know if since you're the only person I know of who has mentioned it.- I noted. -So we might just have to wing it, little buddy.-

"Ha, well good thing winging it is one of your specialties!" laughed Pharos.

-What are my other ones?-

"Poker facing, weaving stories, and defying logic because you reject this reality and substitute your own."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when-_

-Death Arcana, blah blah blah. I'm starting to finally get sick of these stupid voices.-

"I'm amazed it took this long."

-...Y'know, so am I.-

* * *

><p>Pharos spent the rest of the day trying to see how well he could mimic the moves he saw earlier, while I got to have a several hundred pound metal girl glomp me once she got back from helping Mitsuru all day. Had to ask her to take it easy on the hugs, but I think she figured that out when I was wheezing while trying to talk to her. Of course, every time I walked past Akihiko I got a craving for pizza to the point I complained about it at lunch to Fuuka. She was a bit late getting back from school after that, although I think the only ones who were around for a while were me, Aigis, and the two lovebirds hanging out in Shinjiro's room for whatever reason. Could've sworn I heard the opening theme to Digimon Tamers when I walked past at one point, though.<p>

Aigis, however, was leaning on my shoulder as I played Tales of Vesperia in the lounge. The Japanese only PS3 version, naturally. Fun game, and it's always nice to have company.

"No no no YES!" I exclaimed, throwing up an arm triumphantly. "Fuck your bullshit secret mission, Yeager."

"I cannot fathom how the criteria for that challenge were first discovered." said Aigis. "It seems rather poorly thought out."

"Yeah, seriously..."

"Ah, Roy-kun? Do you know if we have any pepperoni?"

I looked over towards the kitchen, and Fuuka had her phone in one hand and was staring at me.

"Not that I know of." I replied. "I don't like it that much anyways... why?"

"Oh, um... I was looking up pizza recipes." she said. "Since you said you were craving that, I though I'd make some for you..."

I blinked. "Oh... well, um... thanks Fuuka! I prefer chicken on my pizza, and I think there's some in the fridge or freezer that Shinjiro hasn't cooked up yet."

"Alright!" she said, smiling as she disappeared back into the kitchen.

"That is very nice gesture from Fuuka-san."

I smirked. "Yeah, it is huh?"

I didn't get to hear Aigis' reply, because there was sudden thudding, then a large black blur shot down from BETWEEN the staircases, and rushed towards the kitchen. It was only when the blur stopped and shouted 'What is going on down here?' in the kitchen doorway that I realized it was Shinjiro.

Aigis and I were staring. "...What?"

"Roy-san, are my optics malfunctioning or did you also see Shinjiro-san perform those feats of acrobatics?"

I shook my head a little. "Nah, I saw that too..."

"Oh, hello senpai!" I heard Fuuka say from the kitchen. "I'm making pizza for Roy-kun."

"...Pizza?"

"He said he was really in the mood for it, so I looked up a recipe. I had to change plans since there's no pepperoni and he doesn't like it anyways."

Shinjiro shifted in the doorway. "...What're you using instead?"

"Chicken. Other than the topping, I was going to follow the recipe. I've never cooked this before..."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good..."

"Shinjiii!" whined Hamuko as she came down the stairs, a pouty look on her face. "Why'd you get up all of a sudden? I was comfy..."

"Hamuko, your boyfriend just went and Assassin's Creeded his way down the stairs!"

Shinjiro turned around to look at me. "What, you didn't know I can do parkour? I've been doing it in Tartarus since we took care of those Shadows in July."

I stared at me. "No, I didn't! I've never seen you do that before!"

He grinned evilly. "What, you think I got as good with an axe as I am by just doing nothing?"

"Nothing is fucking safe from that guy." noted Pharos. "Not a damn thing."

-As if I needed another reason to not end up on his bad side...- I thought, looking at Fuuka who'd decided to poke her head out of the kitchen. "...Wait what the hell, another one?"

"Another what?" asked Hamuko.

"Persona change." I said. "When did Juno happen, Fuuka?"

She smiled nervously. "Oh, um... at school today."

"What caused it?" I asked. "I mean, the ones I've seen had something to ignite the change..."

Her face fell a little. "...Natsuki-chan moved away..."

"...Oh..." -Natsuki... the girl who locked her in the gym? I know they became friends, but that doesn't sound like the whole story...-

"Did you ever get the whole story from Hamuko and Shinjiro about theirs, though?" asked Pharos.

-No, and honestly it's probably better that way. I imagine it was pretty personal for them both.-

"Ah, it's okay!" She said, trying to smile as best she could. "She sent me a text before she left..."

"What'd it say?" asked Hamuko. "Or was it a private sort of thing...?"

Fuuka fidgeted. "...Kinda... but it caused me to realize something about my power..."

Now Shinjiro seemed curious. "What's that?"

"Because I've always been worried about how other people are feeling, that's why my Persona lets me connect to everyone and what dangers lurk ahead."

Hamuko giggled. "Any of us could've told you that, silly!"

"Not necessarily." I said. "On one hand, our Persona abilities to match our personalities to some degree. On the other, some abilities don't really seem to mesh. Like Akihiko and Lightning, even though his vulnerability to Ice kinda paints his interactions with Mitsuru in a fairly interesting light."

"He builds static like crazy, actually. And I bet anything if either of them got a clue, Aki'd get dominated by Mitsuru in a heartbeat and they'd both enjoy it." chuckled Shinjiro. "What about you, though? That Wild Card thing you do mean something?"

I scoffed. "Probably my ability to adapt to things, I'd say. Shade specifically, though... not sure what it means with him."

"Hehe... I'm glad you're all so supportive of me, even if I can't help as much on the frontlines..."

"Of course we are!" exclaimed Hamuko, glomping the shorter girl for a second. "And you're a great help, even if you can't fight! But if you'll excuse me..."

The pinkette let go of Fuuka, turned on her heel, and grabbed Shinjiro by the arm.

"I still have business with this one."

She rapidly started dragging him back up the stairs.

"Whoa-! Hey, not so hard you idiot!"

Shinjiro's griping and Hamuko's giggled retorts disappeared up the staircase quickly.

"Y'know, I'm a little jealous of them..."

Aigis turned her head towards Fuuka. "Why?"

"I've always kind of wondered what it'd be like to be that close to someone..." admitted the teal haired girl. "And if I'd ever be that lucky one day..."

"...Wait, Juno's the Roman version of Hera, right?"

I glanced at Pharos. -Pretty sure, why?-

The dark haired kid suddenly hid behind a chair. "Hera wasn't exactly the nicest puppy in the kennel, especially not when her husband got up to something..."

-Yeah, but Zeus slept around so often it's probably a miracle he ever wore clothes ever.-

"...Good point." Pharos admitted.

-What're you even scared for?-

He went quiet, then shook his head. "...No reason."

"I'm certain you will one day, Fuuka-san." said Aigis, drawing my attention back to the other conversation.

"Yeah, Aigis is right." I added. "We're still in High School, and once the Dark Hour is gone, there's a whole boatload of free time to see about getting your love life going."

Fuuka giggled. "I guess so... and thank you for the encouragement, Roy-kun." A fire burned in her eyes. "I won't let you down!"

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have out blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Priestess Arcana..._

-I seriously wanna know how to shut you up.-

There was a sharp knocking at the door as Fuuka went back into the kitchen, but before myself or Aigis could get up, the door suddenly flew open.

"Knock knock, guests are here!" exclaimed a familiar voice as several people started filing into the dorm. "Where's Shinji?"

I pointed to the stairs. "His room with his girlfriend. I'm only fifty percent sure they're watching Digimon."

"C'mon c'mon, let's go get Shinji-nii-san and Hamu-nee-san~!" exclaimed Kaede, grabbing her dad's hand and dragging him towards the stairs.

I just turned towards the other arrivals. "Asami-sensei, who exactly did you bring with you?"

"Well, we were going to have a meeting at the science labs, but there was a group of junior scientists hanging around." she replied. "And more than a few of them brought up wanting to meet the group that's been exploring Tartarus..."

"There's more dan jus dees two, right?" asked a man in the thickest Jamaican accent I've ever heard in my entire life. Like this thing makes what you see on TV look TAME. "Or has dat towa gotten less crazy ova da years?"

I just stared at him. He even had crazy dreadlocks. "...Where did HE come from?"

"Ha! Just messin' with ya, kid." he laughed, cracking open a can of soda. "Can never resist the accent gag when I meet people."

The green haired guy standing next to him sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Cielo, you pick the strangest times to behave oddly..."

"I'm impressed you even came with us, Fuuma." commented another guy. Bright red hair, spiking out near the base of his skull... Kinda like that guy I met before Daichi's big swordsmanship exhibition. "How'd you get him out of all the work your husband had lined up for him, Tenshi?"

Big Red was promptly smacked upside the head by the last two new guests – Guy and a girl, both with gray hair, but the guy's was lighter than the girls by a long shot.

"Honestly Hayate, we can't take you anywhere..." grumbled the girl.

"You really should listen to your wife more." added the guy.

I was still staring. "...Did a sitcom just walk into the dorm?"

"Haha, the twins are an odd bunch huh?" asked Asami as she sat down on the couch opposite me and Aigis. "Always a riot, even if sometimes Sayaka is a bit too mean to her husband."

"As long as it keeps him focused, I don't see the problem." commented Tenshi, having seated herself in one of the armchairs. "And its nice to see you again, Fortune."

"Wait, THAT kid is Fortune?" asked 'Cielo'. "Seriously?"

I just vaguely gestured at them like I was tipping a hat, even though I wasn't wearing one. "Roy Fortune's the name, Shadow slaying is my game."

"I like this kid already." chuckled 'Hayate'.

"You say that about anyone who reminds you of yourself." said 'Sayaka'.

"Oh, u-um... H-Hello!" exclaimed Fuuka, who finally checked on the commotion coming from the lounge.

The silver haired guy leaned forward slightly so he could see around his sister. "Hello."

"I said quit pulling!" "C'mon Shinji, I wanna meet them!"

As if on cue, Hamuko and Shinjiro came downstairs with Kaede and Roland.

"It's turning into a regular three ring circus..." commented 'Hayate' as the four of them wandered over. 'Fuuma' was now hovering near Tenshi's seat, while 'Cielo' was sitting on a chair from the dining room he'd drug over behind the other couch.

"Good thing we're the only ones home right now..." I commented, only now turning off Tales of Vesperia. "So um, introductions maybe? I'm kinda sitting here half confused and I'm sure Hamuko and Fuuka aren't any better off..."

"Ah yes, allow me to begin." said Tenshi, drawing attention as everyone present started claiming places to sit in the lounge. "For those not aware, my name is Tenshi Kirijo. You're likely well acquainted with my daughter, Mitsuru."

Hamuko was just staring at her. "So YOU'RE where Senpai gets her looks from..."

The elder woman chuckled. "You could say that." She gestured to the green haired man standing near her chair. "This is my husband's assistant, Fuuma Madakaze."

"A pleasure to meet you." He said, adjusting his glasses again. Interesting jacket he's wearing. Looks something between a classy suit jacket and a lab coat somehow.

"I'm Mizuki Dojima." said the silver haired man, who then nudged the dark haired woman sitting next to him. "This is my twin sister, Sayaka."

"Sayaka Norimoto, to be exact." she said, her arm linking itself with the red haired man's. "Mr. Sunshine here is my husband, Hayate Norimoto."

Hayate simply nodded once. "Nice ta meet ya."

"You can just call me Cielo." said the guy who did the fake Jamaican accent. Fittingly, he was drinking Cielo Mist. "Everyone else does."

"If only because your blood is likely carbonated at this point." commented Fuuma. "I still do not comprehend how you can drink that beverage so often."

"Or as much of it as he does..." added Asami. "Curse his fast metabolism..."

I blinked, at a bit of a loss. "Well, uh, I said it before but I'm Roy Fortune."

"My designation is Aigis." stated the blonde, still latched onto me. "It is nice to meet you."

"My name is Fuuka Yamagishi..."

"And I'm Hamuko Arisato~!" chimed in the pinkette.

"Meanwhile I'm Pharos, and I'm a bloody ghost!" exclaimed the kid. "Whoooo spooooky~"

-Quit being a smart ass to people who can't see you. And calm down.-

Pharos turned towards me. "YOU CANNOT CALM ME!" He flailed his arms around a little. "I DO NOT ANSWER TO YOUUUU!"

I stared at him for a second. -...Did you seriously just do that?-

"Yes." he replied, sitting on thin air next to where Fuuka was sitting. "Yes I did."

-...You're an odd kid.-

"I know. It's part of my charm."

"So then is tall, dark, and grumpy the one Asami's getting gray hairs trying to keep from demolishing the city?"

Sayaka elbowed her husband. "Hayate, be nice."

"He's not wrong, though." commented Roland.

"Oh sure, take their side..." grumbled Shinjiro. "But yeah, I'm Shinjiro Aragaki. Apparently Roy over there keeps saying I'm the plan B."

Tenshi arched an eyebrow. "Plan B?"

"Yeah, if nobody else can kill a Shadow, Plan B is to throw me at it."

"You hit Shadows like a bus filled with concrete." I pointed out. "You are a damn effective Plan B!"

He rolled his eyes. "You're exaggerating."

"Dude, between Vaisravana and the fact that I learned literally ten minutes ago you are an actual NINJA, there's nothing to really help your case for not being something close to a natural disaster aimed solely at Shadows." I said. "Like seriously, what freaking ninja school did Daichi send you to?"

"Vaisravana?" asked Mizuki, stopping Shinjiro from retorting. "Asami said his Persona was Castor."

"Mine changed a few weeks ago." stated Shinjiro. "More than a few others have done the same."

The adults looked at each other half worriedly before they focused on us again.

"How many others have changed?" asked Hayate.

"Mine, for one." replied Hamuko, who started counting on her fingers. "There was also Ken-kun's, Koromaru's, Akihiko's, and Fuuka-chan's."

Fuuma hummed loudly. "That's a fair number. Koromaru is the Shiba Inu in your squad, I presume?"

"Affirmative." said Aigis. "According to Roy-san, his Persona was Sirius before transfiguring into Cerberus."

Apart from Roland and Asami, they looked between themselves again.

"He was Kagerou's dog." said Roland. "The one he got not long after he became a monk and watched Naganaki Shrine."

Fuuma's stoic demeanor cracked for just a fraction of a second. "...I see."

"What were the other transitions between Personae?" asked Sayaka, looking between Hamuko and Fuuka. "As in, what were they before they changed?"

"Mine was Lucia." answered Fuuka. "She changed into Juno earlier today..."

"I awoke Thalia." said Hamuko. "She became Usas the same day Shinji got Vaisravana..."

Tenshi let out an amused chuckle. "Good grief, you children are growing up so fast it's a wonder we can keep track..."

"...You said 'Usas', right?"

Hamuko looked at Asami, slightly confused, but nodded. "Yes."

The pink haired woman let out a hum of understanding, and suddenly her demeanor changed from the content one she'd had to pretty obviously upset about something. "I see..."

"Auntie?"

Asami didn't say anything, but Roland suddenly pulled her into a hug.

"...What happened?" said Shinjiro. His tone gave no room for anything beyond a straight answer, and even Tenshi could tell.

Roland hesitated, then looked at his wife. She nodded slowly, causing him to sigh before he turned his head to look at the rest of us.

"You know the project we've talked about as how we all met?" asked Roland.

"Yeah..." replied Shinjiro. "You never said what it was, just that it was for the Kirijo Group and some guy caused an incident."

"Good, you remember. Well, as I'm sure you could guess, it was related to Shadows and the Dark Hour. There were more than a few such projects kicking around back in the day."

I hummed. "Like the Anti-Shadow Weapons?"

Tenshi nodded. "Correct. The project Roland is speaking of was headed up by me; The Asura Project."

"And what was that?" asked Hamuko.

"It was simple in concept, really." replied Sayaka. "We were trying to use a specialized MRI machine to awaken potential Persona Users without having to put them in die or fly scenarios."

"How well did it work?" inquired Fuuka. "And where did you get something that could do that?"

Hayate shook his wife's shoulders a little. "She designed it, and the plan worked pretty well... except for one problem."

"Couldn't find the Persona gland in the heads of the test subjects?"

Mizuki shook his head. "No, we were peering into their mindscapes and locating their potential fairly easily. The problem arouse the first time we tried to stimulate that potential."

"What was the problem?"

"Serph Sheffield."

Eyebrow. "Who is that and what did he do?"

"On one hand, he was a brilliant scientist." admitted Fuuma. "On the other, he was a deranged sociopath with a god complex. He attempted to use the project to gain god-like power for his own ends."

"And naturally his plan was set into motion during the first try of actually awakening a Persona, I presume?"

Hayate nodded grimly. "Yeah. Bastard overloaded the system and the procedure backfired spectacularly."

"...How spectacularly?" asked Hamuko.

"It worked, but not in the way we'd hoped... and it affected everyone in the lab, not just the test subject."

Aigis shifted in her seat. "How so?"

"You see this?" asked Hayate, holding up his right arm and rolling down the sleeve to his elbow. There was a unique, stylized fireball tattoo on his arm. "It's not the average tattoo."

I arched an eyebrow. "If it's not, then what is it?"

I was answered by the tattoo glowing a fiery red. Other glowing marks appeared on various parts of some of the other adults in the room – Roland had a yellow one on his left hand, while Mizuki and Sayaka had matching ones that appeared on opposite sides of their face.

"An Atma Brand, as we've come to call them." he said, the glow vanishing one by one from everyone who was glowing. "It's... well, a bit different from your average Persona usage."

"Different how?"

A blue glow came from Mizuki and- "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"

-His... his arm... transformed...- I thought, staring at the silver haired man's right arm. It looked... something between demonic and insectoid if that made any sense. His arm was normal at about the bicep, save for circuit-like lines coming up a bit from the border between 'normal human' and 'freaky demon thing'.

"Like this." said Mizuki, flexing his demonic hand a bit. "We become our Persona. It took a while to get the hang of it..."

-Okay, Persona roll call time!- I though, steadily scanning the room while Mizuki was talking. - Roland... Indra. Asami... Prithivi. Hayate... Agni. Sayaka... Varnani. Mizuki... Varuna. Cielo... Dyuas. Fuuma... Vayu. Tenshi... Hari-Hara.-

"You already knew Tenshi and Roland's Personas."

-Never hurts to have the whole list, Pharos.- I retorted. "...Huh. Weird coincidence you've all got Hindu figures... at least, I'm guessing. I've only ever heard of Indra and Agni."

Cielo chuckled from his spot behind Mizuki and Sayaka. "Kid's sharper than he seems. Guess it comes with his grab bag of abilities, huh?"

"So he really can sense Personae..." noted Fuuma. "But, as you likely guessed we were not the only ones to be granted Atma-class Personae. Everyone in the facility, including Sheffield, awoke to one."

"Quick question, if you guys are 'Atma-class', what are we?" I asked.

"Tartarus-class." he replied. "Since the first known instance of a Persona awakening was tied to that blasted tower and the Dark Hour."

I noticed Fuuka pull up a chair near where I was sitting, the smell of pizza wafting into the room. She must be half preoccupied with cooking.

"But, if everyone at the lab awoke a Persona, what happened then?" she asked.

"Chaos... and technically, there was one person who didn't." noted Tenshi. "He was one of the on-site mechanics for some of the machinery."

-...Wait.- "How long ago did all this happen?"

"Five years ago." she answered. "Why?"

"...Well, that certainly paints Naoki's comment in a different light..." I said. "But I'll explain that later..."

"I'll hold you to that." said Tenshi. "The incident itself, however, was a nightmare. If not for the lockdown preventing everyone from leaving, who knows what could have happened had the Wayward gotten loose..."

Hamuko gave the elder Kirijo an odd look. "Wayward?"

"They're similar to the Lost, only closer to what popular media depicts zombies as." Fuuma said as he cleaned his glasses. "An unfortunate side effect of the mass Atma-class awakenings."

A heavy silence hung in the air for a few moments.

"...So then, there we zombified people loose in that lab?" asked Shinjiro. "That's messed up."

"Worse than that." said Roland. "They lost their minds while in their Atma state, effectively becoming wild animals with power like Shadows."

"...Shit, you guys were in deep..." I finally said after a few more moments of silence. I don't think anyone blamed me for swearing in front of the small child, who seemed very distracted with a toy in her hands as she sat on Shinjiro's lap. "How'd you sort that out?"

"We hunted for Sheffield." replied Asami, finally speaking up. "Two of our other co-workers were helping us. Mio Yoshino and Kagerou Tadao."

-...Yoshino...? That sounds familiar...- "What Personas did they have?"

"Kagerou's was Cerberus." she said. "Mio's... was Usas."

-Well then...-

"What happened to them?"

"Bat happened."

Eyebrow. "Bat?"

"His real name was Tetsu Sakaki, but once the system went awry, he kept calling himself 'Bat'." said Roland, sounding notably bitter. "Given how he turned into one when he used his Persona, it's not hard to guess why. He was one of the test subjects for the Asura Project, and as it turned out he was a goddamn lunatic who wanted to see the world burn."

"I take it he was also fairly dangerous when in Persona mode?" asked Shinjiro. "He'd kinda have to be if he didn't wanna get reduced to a smear on the wall by you, Roland."

Hayate scoffed. "Bat was a nuisance to the bitter end, even after his arms were torn off."

I blinked. "...Pardon?"

"There was another part of the side effect that made Wayward out of our coworkers." said Sayaka. "Some test subjects, as well as a the few staff who were on Sheffield's side, seemed alright at first... but due to the strain the fusion of the physical and metaphysical aspects of themselves from awakening an Atma-class Persona, they slowly went mad. Bat was one such example, and as best we can guess it was because his potential was so deeply buried in his psyche. The rest of us were fortunate to have at least Tartarus-class potential before the project started."

"What does that have to do with tearing his arms off?" asked Shinjiro.

"As Bat descended into complete insanity, he became oddly fixated on Mio." Roland stated. "He cornered her at one point while we were trying to find Mick the Dick, one of Sheffield's cronies, and..." he hesitated as Asami gripped his shirt tighter. "...He brutally murdered her."

I winced slightly. "Well, that's certainly cause to tear a dude's arms off I'll give you that."

"It was worse because that fat freak Mick is the one who gave Bat the idea." spat Hayate. "Between him, Zebra Boy, Colonel Douchebag, and Shitfield, it's a miracle nothing big enough to destroy the entire lab happened... not that it stopped Bat from trying."

"Let me guess, giant bomb?"

Hayate nodded. "Eyup. We threw him on top of it after Asami and I were done ripping limbs off."

"...So then, because my Persona is similar to your friend's..."

Asami nodded slowly. "...Yeah. Painful memories came back."

"I still wanna know what happened to Mio's daughter, though." chimed in Ceilo. "She was a sweet little girl, but once shit hit the fan she disappeared."

"...Come to think of it, Bat's brother vanished as well..." noted Mizuki. "Chidori was in the visitor's ward, but-"

-WAIT- "Hold the phone, Mio's daughter was named Chidori?"

That caused a few surprised looks.

"Yes... why?"

"Did she have red hair? Like, as bright or brighter than mine?"

Asami's eyes widened. "Yes... but how did...?"

"And her last name was Yoshino?" I continued.

"Roy, where you goin' with this?" asked Shinjiro.

I looked at him. "Remember our friend at the hospital that Junpei's so keen on?"

"Hospital?" repeated Tenshi. "You mean the Persona User captured after your operation in September?"

I nodded. "Yeah. The name on her charts was Chidori Yoshino."

Asami suddenly sat upright in her seat. "How was her last name spelled?"

I yanked out a notepad and pencil from my pocket and scribbled it down quickly before handing it to Asami. "Like this."

She hurriedly studied the symbols I'd used to write the name. "...I need to see her."

"Asami?"

"I need to see this girl." she repeated. "If she's... if she's really Mio's daughter..."

"What exactly led to you encountering this girl?" inquired Fuuma.

I shifted in my seat slightly before answering. "Initially, I'd met her at Port Island Station. Come the Operation in September, though, it turned out she was not only a Persona User, hers being Medea, but she'd kidnapped Junpei Iori – another SEES member – because he rather convincingly told her he was the leader of SEES. She'd intended to get him to call off the operation, but well... Yeah, that didn't work out."

"Why would she do that?" asked Sayaka. "What would she gain?"

"Well, she's not alone in trying to stop us..." I said. "Two other guys plus her used to make up Strega, but-"

"Strega?"

"It's what their little group of Persona users is called."

Tenshi's posture stiffened and she looked none too happy. "Strega was the name of another Kirijo Group project intent on awakening potential Persona Users, albeit through use of specialized drugs. It began roughly a week before the Asura Project went downhill."

"Wait, so the Kirijo Group is responsible for Takaya and Jin?"

"Who're they?" asked Cielo.

"Takaya is the stupid hippie asshole who shot Shinji on the Fourth." replied Hamuko with more than a little anger in her voice. "Jin is his lackey who somehow got his hand on at least one grenade."

Roland seemed to be muttering to himself for a moment. "This Takaya guy... does he happen to have demonic looking tattoos on both his arms and yellow eyes?"

"Eyup." I answered. "Let me guess, he was supposed to be in the Asura Project?"

"He's Bat's younger brother if I remember correctly, but yeah he was."

"It sounds as though someone abducted both Chidori-san and Takaya from the Asura Project Laboratory." noted Aigis. "Seemingly with the intent to be using them for the Strega Project."

"Indeed." agreed Tenshi, and hoo boy she sounds even less happy than she looks. "I believe I have some digging to do once I return home this evening..."

"Speaking of home..." interrupted Cielo, who appeared to be sniffing the air intently. "What smells good...?"

"The pizza's ready!" exclaimed Fuuka, walking out of the kitchen with two very large pizzas on trays in hand. "I started making extra once Asami-sensei and her friends arrived..."

"Food!" exclaimed Kaede, hopping off Shinjiro's lap and scurrying over to the dinner table.

Shinjiro stared in awe. "...And the kitchen didn't burn down?" He hopped to his feet, carefully snatched up a slice, and took a bite out of it. After a few moments, he swallowed. "...Good work, Fuuka."

-I feel like I'm getting whiplash from how quickly the mood in the room is changing at this point...-

"You and me both..." commented Pharos.

* * *

><p>There were more than a few surprised faces once everyone else from SEES started getting back, though the sheer glee on Mitsuru's face to see her mom was a sight to behold. But yeah, it kinda devolved into a bunch of whacky stories from all sides after that extremely serious talk about the Asura Project. Also I found out Hayate once said 'Get your snobby bitch ass out of the way' to Tenshi and lived to tell the tale. Oh, and Fuuka's actually REALLY GOOD at making Pizza as it turns out. It was nice to have the dorm so lively for once, and it certainly did wonders for the general mood. Koromaru especially was beyond excited to see the Asura Project group, Fuuma especially. The whole rest of the night went off without a hitch, and eventually they all left and the lot of us in SEES went to bed.<p>

Asami pulled me and Junpei aside at lunch the next day, requesting that we take her to see Chidori at the hospital after school. I had to tell him an abridged version of the previous night's conversation, and he seemed kinda shaken up by it. Worried about Chidori, I guess. And that's the short story of how I ended up standing outside a hospital room with a grown woman, my best friend, and my super fighting robot girlfriend for ten minutes.

"She's not gonna bite, you know." I finally said, looking at Asami.

She glanced at me, then sighed. "...Yeah..."

And then she finally opened the door, the three of us following her into the room.

"Hello, Junpei-" began Chidori, who stopped when she saw Asami. "...U-Um... who are you...?"

"Ah, this is Asami-sensei..." said Junpei. "She... kinda wanted to meet you..."

"...Why is she staring at me...?"

I looked at Asami, and now I could tell she was trembling.

"Sensei?"

"...You... you look so much like your mother..." Asami eventually stammered.

Chidori's eyes snapped wide open. "You know my mother? Do you know where she is?"

Asami didn't answer right away, she just rushed up to Chidori and hugged her.

"You're alive..." she sobbed, hugging the redheaded artist tightly. "I'm so glad you're alive..."

Chidori was just clearly very confused. "O-Of course I am... why wouldn't I be...?"

"You disappeared five years ago..." said Asami. "Your mother was so upset, and then..."

"What?"

I winced. This was probably going to be a lot for Chidori to take in.

"...She died..."

"...What...?"

Asami just hugged Chidori tighter. "...Your mother died, Chidori... she died trying to find you..."

"...No..." Chidori stammered. "She's... gone...?"

"Chidori..."

I took Aigis' hand and stepped back towards the door.

"We might wanna leave 'em be..." I whispered. "This is... well, more of a thing for them to discuss..."

"I agree..." she answered as we slipped back out of the hospital room.

* * *

><p>Aigis and I were waiting outside for what felt like hours before we figured it was safe to go back in without causing problems. Junpei was sitting next to Chidori on the hospital bed, the redheaded artist clinging to him. Asami was sitting in the chair Junpei'd been sitting in before we left.<p>

"...Everything okay?" I asked tentatively, ready to bail from the room again if need be.

Asami glanced at Chidori before looking at me. "...It's a lot for her to absorb, really. Especially all at once..."

"Yeah, figured..." I noted. "At least she's got someone she can lean on."

"Mmhm." she agreed. "And... thanks for stepping out while we were talking."

I smiled. "Ha, it wasn't a problem really. Less people, less awkward and all that. Besides... I intrude enough as it is."

"Ha, I dunno Roy." laughed Junpei. "I get the feeling you being nosy has kept our asses out of the frying pan more than once."

-And yet I never talk about anything.- "I guess..."

"Oh don't start getting modest, dude." he continued. "You've helped out everyone in someway or another and you know it."

"Even still, you've helped Chidori more than I have." I noted. "And don't you try to play the modesty card either, Junpei."

He shrugged lightly, looking at Chidori. She was still resting her head against his shoulder. "Eh, even I can't argue with that."

"...It does explain a lot, though..." said the redhead suddenly, reaching towards a small stack of sketchbooks next to her bed. "...Especially these..."

She plucked one from the stack and flipped it open to the first page, holding it so that everyone present could see the image. It was an absolutely stunningly detailed sketch of a woman smiling. If it wasn't in a sketchbook, I'd have sworn it was a black and white photograph.

"Th-That's... Mio..." stammered Asami. "My god..."

Junpei whistled. "Wow Chidori, that's amazing..."

"...I have a good memory..." she said sheepishly. "But, I drew this while I was still taking the suppressants... I had no idea who she was, I just... drew pictures of her."

"Oh yeah, that's the sketchbook you had when we first brought you here..." I said. I reached out for it, then hesitated. "Do you mind if I take a look?"

She seemed to debate it internally for a moment. "...Go ahead."

I took the sketchbook from her, carefully flipping through the pages. Several were more drawings of Mio, but after a point other things started turning up. One stood out, though.

"That appears to be Junpei-san." noted Aigis, who was peeking around my shoulder.

"So it is..." I commented, turning the pad around. "It seems she captured your good side, bro."

"Hey, who's that good lookin' guy?" he asked, though he certainly still seemed surprised. "You're really good, Chidori."

She fidgeted a little. "...Not really..."

"Chidori, sweetheart, if you and Iori go anymore red I'm going to call a nurse to make sure you two aren't going to pass out from a heat stroke."

The two of them both stared right at Asami, their faces as red as Chidori's hair.

"Hey, be nice sensei." I chuckled, looking through the sketchbook some more. "Besides, is it bad they're enjoying each others company so much?"

She chuckled. "I guess not..."

"Still... it's... it's nice to finally know..."

I looked over at Chidori.

"It hurts, but... at least now I don't have to wonder if I'm alone anymore..." she said sadly. "To dream of having a real family..."

"...Chidori..."

"So... thank you." She said, smiling as best she could while looking at me. "I know it looks bad, but... it'd have been worse to leave me in the dark..."

**CRASH**

-Wait what?-

_Thou shalt-_

-Yadda yadda temperance, shut up there's more important things to talk about!- "What're you talking about?"

"I let her know that you were the reason I was even here." said Asami. "I honestly never would've thought to visit her otherwise..."

I blinked. "...Oh... um... You're welcome...?"

"Roy, what is that?"

I looked at Aigis. "Huh?"

She pointed at the sketchbook I was still holding. "That picture. What is that?"

I turned my head to look at it... and I felt a sinking feeling in my chest.

The picture clearly had me standing in the top middle of the page with my back turned... but there were shadowy silhouettes behind me, literally coming out of my shadow. One to my left, very much reminiscent of Shade. Another to my right, with the unmistakable multiple arms of Anansi. Directly behind me, though, was three other figures. One looked kind of like me as a black silhouette, but the other two on either side of it were much shorter. Every single figure in the image had notable eyes, but... the more I stared the more I felt something was very wrong with what I was looking at.

"Roy? You okay man?"

My head jerked upright. Everyone was staring at me.

"Somethin' wrong?" asked Junpei. "You went really quite and started going pale..."

I blinked. "Huh? Oh, um... I'm fine... just got wrapped up in my thoughts..."

"Ha, nerves finally getting to ya now that we're down to the last operation?" he laughed. "Can't say I blame ya, man. Why don't you and Ai-chan head back to the dorm?"

"Y-Yeah... probably a good idea..." I said, closing the sketchbook and handing it back to Chidori. "You have really nice art, though."

She smiled. "Thank you. You'll have to show me your drawings sometime."

I chuckled. "Yeah, definitely."

* * *

><p>Aigis was worried, so she hurried me back to the dorm and then glued herself to my lap for the rest of the night. If anybody noticed I was kinda out of it, they didn't say anything. Pharos, though, was fairly concerned. I managed to get him to drop it before I went to bed. But I swore I felt something watching me from inside my own head before I fell asleep...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Ah man, this was another chapter I was looking forward to. Partly because if you CANNOT guess who I based Katsuro off of now, you should go look up Fire Emblem: Awakening. The other part is because of the Asura Project backstory! I honestly think I love building the world of Reshuffled's version of the Persona Timeline as much as I do actually working on the story.

And yes, I did some very unsubtle foreshadowing with Chidori's sketchbook at the end. I think you readers might be able to figure out part of what's going on with it... or will you? Mwehehehe... find out the truth of the matter when it's time to Switch It Up in Chapter 26, because Chapter 25 is the Strega Grudge Match and Arcana Hanged Man Bridgeside Showdown! See you then!


	25. Because Fuck the Dark Hour

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Delta XIII** - You should. That was the entire point of it. Mwahaha! And no, Physics is for LAME PEOPLE. Nobody in SEES is a lame person.

**We Thought It'd Be Funny** - Aaaaaaah well some of these scenarios were spur of the moment ideas(like the drawing of Roy at the end of the last chapter for example), but others(like the Asura Project) were spawned ages ago. In fact, what I have planned for the next chapter has been planned since I started writing Reshuffled two years ago! *screams internally about that length of time*

**rsdk525** - Oh you'll see what's next on Shinjiro Aragaki's list of ways to utterly ruin things soon enough. Trust me. Mwehehehe...

**Evilshroom** - Actually, Shinjiro is getting more focus because Roy is talking to him more frequently than he is most other members of SEES. And Akihiko... well, you'll find out what's up with him later in the story. The other characters WILL get more moments to shine, but then again think about who's telling the story in universe; What does it say about Roy as the narrator that he's personally focused on Shinjiro's abilities so much? I believe my cunning story writing tactics are too subtle for you! Also, Shinjiro isn't super good at Kendo; He knows enough to keep up with his crazy brother and grandfather. It's in his personality to resort to more direct approaches, hence why he uses an ax instead of a sword or something.

**Overlord Duelist** - It's actually a little bit of world building, and Shinjiro's version ISN'T the infamous version from Persona 4 that obliterates everything; it's not a persona skill, it's a kendo technique and it's a fair bit too unweildly to pull off with an ax. His Brother and Grandfather, though, totally have the Persona version. Good thing those two are side characters, huh?

**Jenni Saba** - Haha, I'm glad you liked it! Of course, you've been getting previews while I've been working on it too ya lucky bugger. XD

**SwiftwyndTheHero** - You win a cookie for that nickname for Katsuro, but dON'T COMPLIMENT THE ORIGINAL AFNF IT'S GARBAGE *external screaming of despair*

Why no I'm not going to stop thanking **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts** for being awesome and helping me with chapters, why do you ask? Also, THANK YOU WHOEVER UPDATED THE TROPES PAGE! That made my day. Anywho, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>The remaining days leading up to the Final Operation were... odd. Mainly in how tense the atmosphere always felt at the dorm despite the lighthearted conversations going on. On the upside, I got the chance to talk to Akinari again which was pretty nice... even if anyone listening in probably would've been worried by how morbid our conversation sounded. Also there was some... weird stuff going on in Tartarus. The Reaper kept popping up, but... he never attacked. It was really creepy to see a bag-head monster thing staring at you intensely like it wants to eat you or some shit, lemme tell ya. Outside of the Dark Hour though, nothing really worth talking about happened until the day before the Full Moon. The lot of us in SEES were gathered up in the lounge, keeping to our usual routines for the most part.<p>

"...It's hard to believe tomorrow will be our last operation." Fuuka said suddenly.

"Yeah... We've been through a lot these past six months..." commented Yukari, who then looked at me. "Don't ya think?"

I thought about it for all of a seventh of a second. "Man, we've had so many crazy things happen in that time I still wonder if I'm asleep on my flight to Japan back in April."

"Dude, that was months ago."

"Dreams can be weird, man." I said to Junpei. "Really weird."

"Speaking from experience?"

-Shut up, Pharos.-

"Eh, true..." Junpei admitted. "Still, even for all the bad stuff that went down, this was all a lot better than doing nothing the entire time. Besides that, we made some pretty great friends!"

"Yeah, you're right." agreed Ken.

"I'm with you two." said Akihiko. "This has all been worth it. Been two and a half years since I got this power, and you don't hear me complaining."

"That's because I complain for you."

Hamuko giggled. "You complain about him, Shinji."

"Same difference."

Koromaru let out a playful bark as he sat on Shinjiro's lap before chomping down on that one squeaky toy of his. He really likes to chew the hell out of that thing.

"Two and a half years is a long time..." noted Fuuka. "Oh, wait... it's been longer for Aigis, hasn't it?"

"I was asleep for much of that time, unfortunately..." Aigis said. "Thus I have not been active for as long as Akihiko-san."

"How 'bout you, Mitsuru-senpai?" asked Junpei. "You started before Akihiko-san, right?"

She looked up from her book. "Me? ...Yes, it was just me at first. Of course, back then SEES didn't exist, and this was an ordinary dorm..."

"Did the chairman recruit you?"

"No... I've been aware of the Dark Hour since I was a child." she replied. "I accompanied my father's research time into the lobby of Tartarus, and Shadows attacked us. That's when I awakened to my Persona..."

Yukari's face paled. "You were just a kid...?"

Mitsuru nodded. "Slightly younger than Amada, to be exact. I was the first person that the researchers had encountered capable of summoning a Persona. If I hadn't... then perhaps none of you would have to bear this terrible burden."

"Well I've been Dark Hour sensitive since I was six." I pointed out. "So even if you hadn't, it's possible me or someone else would have sooner or later."

"He's right." agreed Akihiko. "Even if it wasn't you, someone would have awakened and had to defeat the Shadows. They're an enemy that can just be ignored."

"...I suppose you're right." Mitsuru admitted. "Even if I wouldn't wish this on anyone, I can't change what has already happened..."

**CRASH**

-Wait what which one are you?-

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

-Seriously? Cripes, whichever Spooky Voice guy is in charge of that one is a lazy bastard.-

* * *

><p>The rest of that evening was fairly calm, but the day of the operation proper there was a surprise guest turning up around ten thirty with Shinjiro; His Uncle Roland.<p>

"Somethin' wrong?" I asked as I finished double checking my gear.

"No, I just have a request for you and Mitsuru." he replied as Shinjiro walked over to the kitchen.

"What is it?" asked Mitsuru, sounding fairly curious.

Roland went into extreme serious mode, or so it seemed he did anyways. "Let me tag along for this."

The dorm went quiet all of a sudden, apart from a confused whine from Koromaru.

"...Why did you want to join us for this?" inquired Mitsuru.

"This is the last Shadow you guys have to put down to end everything, right? That'd mean those Strega guys might be there to stop you, seeing as it's there last chance." he answered. "I wanna see this Takaya guy for myself, especially after what he did to my nephew."

Shinjiro grunted from wherever he was standing. "I said he didn't have to, but if he wants to keep those idiots occupied while we deal with the Shadow, he can be my guest."

"It's not like we could really say no to the help..." pointed out to Yukari. "With as many Lost as have been turning up lately, we might not be able to beat the Shadow..."

Junpei scoffed. "Please, that thing doesn't stand a chance between everyone here hammering it with their Personas!"

"Regardless of its strength, I see no reason you couldn't provide assistance." said Mitsuru. "What of Asami-san, though?"

"She suggested it in the first place, actually." Roland admitted. "Kaede said she couldn't go though, since she thought I was going to Gekkoukan and it's 'not momma's job to beat up the bad guys at school'."

Hamuko giggled. "Awww, that's cute!"

"Well like Mitsuru-senpai said, no reason to stop you." I noted. "So take a seat, we still got time to burn..."

"Alright..."

A louder than expected ringing echoed through the lounge, which was quickly silenced as Mitsuru answered her phone.

"Hello?" she asked, then suddenly her eyes went wide. "What do you mean there was an explosion?"

-Whoa wait WHAT?-

"And you're certain...?" her eyes narrowed. "...I see. Thank you for warning me. Please tend to the injured as quickly as possible."

"What's wrong, senpai?" asked Fuuka as Mitsuru put her phone away and scowled.

"...The hospital was attacked." she said, sounding fairly upset. "And Chidori has gone missing from her room."

Junpei sprang to his feet. "She's WHAT?"

"...Strega." spat Yukari. "They must've busted her out..."

"Why?" asked Shinjiro. "Last time they saw her, I'm pretty sure she'd locked them out of her room and was terrified as all hell of them..."

I looked at him. "Do you honestly think Takaya cares?"

"...Shit." he growled, likely having come to a similar conclusion about what was going down to the one I had. "Tonight just got a lot more complicated."

Junpei looked between the two of us. "So what's gonna happen?"

"If I'm right, we'll find all of them waiting for us on the route to wherever the Shadow is." I said. "We'll just have to sort this out then... and see about getting Chidori away from the dipshits." I looked Junpei in the eye. "You're on save the girl duty for that. Set Takaya's stupid head on fire if he tries to stop you."

His expression turned intense. "Not a problem."

"Cool."

* * *

><p>The Chairman turned up shortly before the Dark Hour, and once it hit, Fuuka had already summoned Juno to scan. It didn't take her long, so Juno must be a serious step up from Lucia.<p>

_{I found it.} _she reported psychically. _{The final Shadow is currently at the south end of the Moonlight Bridge... and you were right; Strega is waiting for us on the north end.}_

"Is Chidori with them?" asked Junpei.

_{...Yes. But... something's odd about her...}_

I scowled. "They probably forced some suppressants down her throat thinking she still needed them."

"Bastards..."

I am not even surprised to know that word is already in Ken's vocabulary.

"You should remain cautious." warned Ikutsuki. "They'll likely have something planned, especially with how desperate they must be."

"Indeed. This is our last operation, so let's do our best to come back from it safely." said Mitsuru. "You've all done a fine job up to this point."

Shinjiro cracked his knuckles. "Let's end this, once and for all."

I adjusted my hat slightly. "My thoughts exactly. C'mon, we've got a Monster to slay!"

* * *

><p>With gear on and weapons in hand, SEES marched towards the South side of the Moonlight Bridge. Halfway across, we found the only thing dumb enough to stand in our way: Strega.<p>

"Good evening..." said Takaya, a smirk on his face. That new pistol of his looked silly tucked into his belt because of how much smaller it was than the hand cannon he used to have. "I trust you know the significance of today?"

"Why else would we be here?" I scoffed.

He shrugged. "Perhaps you wish to die in futility? I cannot say I know how your mind works."

"Good, then get the fuck out of the way." I spat. "We've got a Shadow to kill."

"Like hell!" snapped Jin. "We don't take orders from you maggots! Especially not after what you did to Chidori!"

"What do you mean 'what we did'? You're the ones forcing those damn pills on her!" shouted Junpei. "Do you even know what they're doing to her?"

Chidori was standing a little ways behind Takaya and Jin. She seemed... dazed. Drained of life, even.

"You idiots were killing her!" Jin countered. "The pills are the only thing saving her life!"

"Who the hell told you that?" asked Shinjiro. "Because no matter how you slice it, those suppressants don't do anything but kill you!"

"Hmph. More lies..." said Takaya. "I wouldn't expect you to know the finer details of our power."

I had to resist the urge to scream in frustration. "You fucking IDIOT! We know you need those pills to NOT get murdered by your Personas! Chidori's not like that; She doesn't need them! All you're doing is sapping her ability to think for herself!"

"Bullshit!" snapped Jin. "She came with us willingly once we got her out of the damn hospital!"

-Hrm. Idea!- "Oh, so then you were there when she got out of her room?"

"No, Takaya went to get her while I made the distraction."

-AH HA!- "So then you have no idea what Takaya could have done like say... oh I dunno, force feed her suppressants?"

"He wouldn't do that!"

"The face he just made says otherwise."

Jin's head snapped around to face Takaya, who was now on a bit of a backpedal. "Takaya?"

"False accusations, I assure you..." insisted the pale hippie.

"And there was a security camera in her room." Roland piped up, finally making himself known to Strega. "So we can see exactly what he did once the Dark Hour's gone."

Takaya, surprisingly, recognized him. "You..."

"Hmph... yeah, you're his brother alright..." he observed. "Certainly got the look about you."

"What do you know of my family?" spat Takaya. "They're all gone, taken away from me by accursed souls who desire naught but their own demise."

Roland shook his head. "Not all. Your brother brought it on himself. I would know, I saw him die."

The leader of Strega chewed on his lip for a moment. "...No matter. The fact remains he is gone."

"And you're every bit as twisted as he is."

Takaya scoffed. "What proof do you have?"

"Oh, I dunno..." I commented, switching to Pixie. "Maybe this?"

I hit my evoker to summon the tiny fairy, who promptly threw as big of an Amrita spell as she could muster at Chidori. The red headed girl clutched her head.

"Ngh...! What is...?" she sputtered, then started glaring at me. "You..."

-Not enough! Do it again!- Bam, more Amrita from Pixie.

Chidori clutched her head more intensely, now shaking it back and forth. "Nnngh... R-Roy...?"

"You BASTARD-"

If Jin tried to do something, a bolt of lightning from Roland sure changed his tune.

"Don't even think about it." he snarled.

"My head..." stammered Chidori, who was now getting a good look around. Once her eyes settled on Takaya, though, she suddenly got panicked. "Y-You!"

"Chidori, over here!"

Her head snapped towards Junpei, and just like that she started running right towards him. "Junpei!"

**BANG**

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"JUNPEI!"

"MY ARM!" shouted my best friend as he fell to his knees. "HE SHOT ME IN THE FUCKING ARM!"

"Hamuko."

"Right, Shinji."

**KRSH-KRACK**

"Takaya- HRK!"

"Just stay put." said Roland, having somehow gotten behind Jin in the time it took Hamuko to freeze Takaya's gun hand to the ground. A large, vajra-like arm was currently holding right up next to Jin's neck. "And you don't get hurt, kid."

"J-Junpei!" sputtered Chidori, kneeling next to him. "H-Hold still...!"

"Stay away from him!" barked Takaya. "Your purpose is not to make friends with the ENEMY!"

A large shard of rock suddenly jutted out of the ground, and like, formed a hand that clamped itself over Takaya's mouth.

"Be SILENT." snarled Shinjiro.

"What the...? Chidori, what'd you do...?"

I looked over at Junpei, and he'd taken his left arm out of his uniform jacket and pushed up the sleeve. I could see blood on the sleeve, but... there was no trace of a wound on Junpei's arm.

"...Ha... It actually worked..." she said, sounding relieved.

"Chidori, what are you doing?" shouted Jin. "Why are you helping them?"

She didn't look at him. "...I'm sorry, Jin. You... you don't know what Takaya did."

"What are you talking about?"

"When he came into my room, he woke me up by forcing pills into my mouth and covering it with his hand." she said, helping Junpei stand up. "He said... he said he needed his 'tool' to fulfill its role..."

Jin shook his head. "No... that's impossible..."

"I heard him say it, Jin!"

"Y-You're lying!" he shouted. "Th-They're manipulating you!"

-Shit, he's havin' a freak out...- "Only one being manipulated right now is you, dude."

"SHUT UP!" he screamed before Roland shoved him to the ground.

"If you're so sure, ask him yourself." said Roland, walking over to Takaya and using his vajra arm to break the rock keeping the creep's mouth shut.

Jin looked over at where his ally was still partly frozen to the ground. "Th-They're lying, right? You... you didn't do that to Chidori... right...?"

"O-Of course I wouldn't..." Takaya replied. "You both are the only people in the world I can trust..."

"So then..." I began, loosening the sarashi on my right arm. "If I were to oh, say..." I walked over to Jin. "Do THIS!" Aaaand there's my foot meeting Jin's gut. "You'd get upset, right?"

"Roy, what the hell!"

"I'm going somewhere with this, trust me." I said, picking Jin up off the ground. "Your thoughts, Takaya?"

He just laughed. "You've gone mad..."

"Wrong answer." Knee to Jin's gut.

"You've gone completely mad!"

"Still wrong." Fist to the jaw.

"What manner of fool ARE you?" Takaya laughed.

I just stared at Takaya. "What kind do you think I am?"

"A spectacular one!" he replied. "It's like before! You keep insisting we're not threatening, but here you are trying to coerce me into talking by near torturing my friend!"

"And yet not once did you actually tell me to stop."

Oh man, the look of the wind going COMPLETELY out of Takaya's sails right there was amazing.

"I... simply..."

"You simply don't give a flying shit about anything but what you want." I said, pumping Jin full of Dia so he wasn't in pain as I set the poor guy down. -Fuuka, please let the record show I feel like an ass for doing that to Jin.-

_{O-Okay...}_

-Thanks... sorry about that.-

Takaya just stared at me, then I saw it. I saw the very instant all semblance of sanity just SHATTERED inside his tiny, warped little mind. In the next instant, he started to laugh. That cliched sort of evil laugh that starts off subdued, but goes full on megalomaniac cackling a few seconds later like when some one is outed as being an evil bastard in an anime or something. It was kinda surreal to see it actually happening.

"Aaaah..." he sighed, his psychotic guffaws finally winding down. "What's the use? I've been tired of this facade since the day I first began to use it... All I sought was a way to see this foul, corrupt world burn for all that it had done to me..." A twisted chuckle escaped him. "And you were so eager to follow, all because I gave you meaningless direction... But Chidori, though..." Takaya turned his gaze to her. "Ah, now if ever there was a more perfect pawn... I just had to keep making her take those pills and she'd do whatever I told her to. It was so simple... haha, but you all had to step into things..."

I felt the air starting to heat up suddenly and looked towards Chidori and Junpei.

"A pawn...?" asked the redheaded girl, shaking with fury. "Jin and I were just PAWNS to you?"

"Of course you were!" exclaimed Takaya, madness practically erupting from him at this point. "Nothing more than means to the ends I desire, and that is for all in this world to suffer as I have!"

"So because you had a tough time..." began Junpei. "You want to drag everyone down with you all because you think you CAN? And you were using Chidori to do it? How can you do that to ANYONE?"

Takaya laughed. "Because I don't care! There is nothing more meaningless to me than attachment and desires that do nothing put poison the mind and make it weak!"

-HOLY SHIT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT- "GUYS, BACK AWAY FROM JUNPEI!"

"Meaningless...?" snarled Junpei and Chidori in unison. The air was so hot I'm amazed the pavement wasn't starting to melt.

I still don't know where Chidori got that evoker from, but I didn't really get the chance to worry about it when suddenly both her Persona and Junpei's were looming behind them.

_**'I am thou... and thou art I...'**_

-Wait, WHAT?-

_**'From the sea of thine souls, the resolution of thine hearts calls forth new power...'**_

A pillar of fire suddenly exploded up around both the Personae. It was bright enough I had to shield my eyes until it died down. Whatever Hermes had changed into looked similar to before, but with a bright red body, a bird helmet holding a red gem in the beak, and additional metal wings on his shoulders. Legs seemed longer as well.

Medea's transformation, though, was something else. It went from what looked like a skinny woman in a skintight jumpsuit with a white, horned helmet and scraggly brown hair to a more... elegant figure. She wore long, flowing maroon robes with the hem at the base near her feet and the ends of the sleeves having gold thread woven in a way that resembled the outline of fire. Gold sandals were on her black skinned feet, and floating behind her were several orbs of fire. A less rough version of Medea's helmet mask thing sat on her head. The Persona's most striking feature, however, was its hair; Long, down to the waist, and it looked like fire was trapped inside of it.

_**'Hermes has given rise to Trismegistus, and Medea has given rise to Hestia!'**_

"BURN IN HELL!"

Next thing I know, and suddenly Takaya's on fire. Like, completely on fire. Hell, I think even his SOUL is burning right now.

"ENOUGH!"

An explosion of red mist suddenly dispelled the flames, and Takaya's Persona was floating above him. His right hand looked like it was in bad shape, probably from the fire, the flash melted ice, and the likely now stupidly hot pistol that's sitting on the ground.

"I WILL HAVE MY VENGENCE ON THIS WORLD!" he screamed. "BEHOLD MY ETERNAL NIGHTMARE!"

Several orbs appeared around the Persona, but something felt odd about the air all of a sudden as the orbs started to converge in front of the gray skinned thing Takaya had somehow called forth.

"I don't think so."

A bright flash came from Roland's direction before a sudden crash of thunder rang out. In the following instant, Takaya was shouting in pain as he was struck by lightning about three or four times.

"Holy shit..." Junpei said in awe, having apparently snapped out of his anger. "What just...?"

Roland stepped forward and- "HOLY SHIT!"

He looked over at me... which was surprising because he was suddenly some kind of demon thing that didn't seem to HAVE eyes. A mouth cover like thing on his face popped open a moment later.

"Atma's a hell of a thing, isn't it?" he asked, picking up Takaya with his right arm... which still looked like it had vajra armor on it.

Takaya coughed, slowly turning to glare at the one holding him by the neck. It was kind of a feat, since he looked pretty badly burned from getting hit by both a large amount of fire and a buncha lightning bolts.

"Go... to hell..." he spat.

"I'll pass." retorted the elder Persona user. "You, though, can go to jail."

"Like I'll g- AAAAAAAAAH!"

I winced, and I'm pretty sure everyone else, even Jin, did too. Seeing a guy's arm almost get bent into a shape it really shouldn't go into can do that to a person I'd say.

"Shut up." growled Roland. "And make this easy on yourself. I have no qualms with taking you to the cops with broken bones."

Takaya scowled, but seemed resigned to his fate now. I doubt he could wrench free of Roland's grip even if he wasn't in Atma mode.

"Wait for me..."

"Jin?"

I looked over at him, and he was finally getting up.

"I've got nowhere else to go..." he said. "And I know more than enough about everything Takaya's done..."

"But, Jin..."

He shook his head. "It's alright, Chidori. I've... I've made enough mistakes at this point. I have to start fixing them somehow..." he glared at Takaya. "And cleaning up his mess is a good place to start."

"Then come on." said Roland, beckoning Jin over. "Less time we waste here, the sooner we can get this nut to Kurosawa."

Jin started over to him, only to stop in front of Junpei and Chidori.

"...You take good care of her, you hear me? She's a good person." he said. "If you don't, I'll make sure you regret it."

Junpei was just confused as Roland led the two members of Strega away, but Chidori... she seemed a little flustered.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that to happen..." Yukari admitted.

"A most peculiar development indeed..." noted Aigis. "But, what will happen to Chidori-san?"

Mitsuru seemed to ponder than for a moment before looking right at Chidori. "...Yoshino."

She jumped slightly. "Y-Yes...?"

"Would you be willing to assist us in defeating this Shadow?"

Chidori seemed utterly confused by the question. "...You'd trust me to help you...?"

"Would you rather sit around doing nothing?" asked Akihiko.

She hesitated for a moment before answering. "No."

"Then let's get our final operation underway." said Mitsuru. "Iori, keep an eye on her."

He saluted instantly. "You got it, Senpai!"

"Follow me guys." I said. "Let's go see what kinda ugly bugger we've got to deal with for our last battle."

* * *

><p>Once we were further across the bridge, Fuuka summoned Juno to see what we were up against. -And where the hell is that noise coming from?-<p>

_{...It's not moving.} _she noted. _{But it's... in the air?}_

"That would explain the helicopter noises..." I commented as I looked around. "But where the hell is it?"

_{It's... Just behind the bridge supports,but I think it's noticed us now!}_

On cue, what I presume to be the Shadow appeared. It was in one of those small, military style choppers you'd see in like Vietnam War movies that dudes are trying to get to. Except instead of those large blades on top, it was a large ring with a bunch of wings on it. I'm not sure I wanna know how or why it was making sound like it was a regular helicopter, but it was pretty high above us... too high, in fact.

"How're we supposed to hit that thing?" asked Ken. "Can our Personas even get that high in the air?"

"I might be able to..." began Yukari, then suddenly a blast of green shot towards the helicopter. It struck the side, but didn't really do much. "Okay, at the very least I can hit it if I channel Io's skills through my bow!"

"Uh, Yuka-tan I think you pissed it off..." Junpei noted as the side door panels on the chopper opened up. Several soldier-looking Shadows jumped out, all of them with Hanged Man masks on their helmets, and pointed assault rifles at us. "LIKE A LOT!"

The Shadows opened fire and we scattered, though Mitsuru and Hamuko put up a large Ice wall to hide behind.

"Sure as hell don't sound like they're using guns!" Shinjiro called out. "Good for us in that case!"

_{They're using piercing attacks to emulate gunfire.}_ Fuuka reported. _{But there's something off with the main Shadow...}_

Aigis ducked back down next to me after shooting at the Shadows with her finger guns. "What do you mean, Fuuka-san?"

_{...Ah! Three more Shadows just appeared, but they're... different! They feel like the main one!}_

I poked my head around the car I was hiding behind, spotting the 'different' shadows. They were color coded versions of the other Soldier Shadows; One red, one blue, one yellow, and each with a backpack hooked up to the weapon in their hands. Red seemed to have a flamethrower, which would suggest Blue's packing a freeze ray and Yellow has a lightning gun. A moment later and I got to find out I was right when Akihiko took a lightning bolt to the face from Yellow's weapon.

"Gah!" he grunted, ducking back behind cover. "How the hell are we supposed to deal with these things? We can't even get close!"

I stared at him. "Personas, duh?"

He stared at me for a second, then slapped his hand over his face.

"Right." He grumbled. "I forgot about that for a second."

-Oh my GOD Akihiko, REALLY?-

"Persona!" "Come, Hestia!" **BANG**

Junpei and Chidori got the retaliation started, Trismegistus slamming into one of the regular Shadows like a bus while Chidori's Persona unleashed an explosion of fire on some of the others. Red didn't seem phased, while his other two color coded pals got slightly roasted.

"Yamagishi, are those Shadows resistant to their own attacks?"

_{Yes, Senpai.}_ she reported. _{The colored ones are also immune to Hama and Mudo skills, but the others have no resistances at all!}_

Koromaru barked before Cerberus appeared with a howl, unleashing a wave of darkness upon the Shadows. Several were quickly obliterated, but the Blue one seemed to take offence to his buddies getting disintegrated by a small dog summoning a bigger, three-headed dog and started firing more ice blasts at us.

"This feels like one of those stupid war movies that keep coming out of America!" Shinjiro shouted over the imitation gunfire. "Only more magical or some shit!"

"And also with better special effects." I said as a piece of the ice wall I was behind was chipped off. Everyone was doing their best to take turns blasting at the Shadows without staying out of cover too long, but no matter how many we blasted it didn't seem to put a dent in their numbers. Also the Triple Threat Trio had absolutely OBSCENE levels of Endurance. Like, 'they tanked Shinjiro hitting them' obscene.

-...Wait a minute. Hanged Man.- "Hey, does anyone see a mask on the outside of that chopper?"

"No, why?" Yukari shouted back after she wind arrowed the head off of another Shadow.

"Then can anyone see who the hell is flying it?"

"Why is it important, Fortune?"

I pitched Shade at the Shadows, letting him deck the Red one in the face before vanishing. "Because I think I have an idea of how to kill the Shadow, but I need to know where in the chopper it is!"

{It's... in the pilot's seat!} Fuuka stated. {But... it's alone... where do all the other Shadows keep coming from?}

"Take a look at 'em!" I said, summoning Pixie to patch up Aigis and Hamuko. "The other shadows look like foot soldiers! How much you wanna bet the Hanged Man is an incompetent moron of a general throwing troops into the meat grinder instead of facing us itself?"

"That would fit the reversed meaning of its Arcana if I'm not mistaken..." Mitsuru admitted before having Penthesilea unleash a barrage of ice shards at the Shadows. "But how do you suppose we get the Shadow out of the helicopter?"

"Hey, Fuuka-chan!" called out Hamuko. "You said the colorful ones felt like the main one right?"

_{That's right... Why?}_

"COVER ME!" she shouted, barreling into the fray.

"YOU HEARD HER!" exclaimed Shinjiro, wasting no time in throwing Vaisravana at the Shadows.

The rest of us followed suit, leaving Hamuko with only a small conga line of Shadows between her and one of the technicolor ones – The Blue One to be exact. What I saw next was some of the most preposterously expert naginata wielding I've ever seen from Hamuko... up until she suddenly pitched her weapon into the air, used one of the lesser Shadows' face as a springboard, CATCH the naginata and start spinning along with it, perfectly land so she was slashing part of the Blue One's arm off from behind, then dash-slashing her way back THROUGH it along with about five other lesser Shadows, killing the lot of them and giving her time to get back behind cover.

"What the hell was-"

My confusion and surprise at what I just witnessed was cut off by the helicopter suddenly shaking violently.

_{That's it, Hamuko-chan! Those Shadows are what's keeping the Helicopter from taking damage! Destroy them, and you should be able to shoot it down!}_

In that next instant, what sounded like an explosion going off was heard, followed by an audible sound of something getting impaled on the face. I say that, because I turned and saw that Ken had not only managed to throw his spear like he was some kind of living railgun or something, but now Themis was hovering behind him.

"I got this one!" He shouted, then he called down lightning bolts right onto the spear and into the body of the Shadow he'd pegged – specifically, the Red One which was now extremely dead because Spear to Face and Lightning Bolts. The chopper lurched in the air again, nearly crashing into the metal support cables on the bridge.

-...Shit, Surprise Ken(tm) is very effective...-

"Did you just trademark one of your friends kicking ass?"

-What, I can't have SOME fun while trying to not get shot, Pharos? And where the hell are you, anyways?-

"Behind a car like ten feet away!" he replied as another shot chipped off part of the ice wall near my head.

-Okay, that answers that question...- "But now how do we get rid of the rest of these bastards quickly?"

"Chidori, let's go!"

"A-Alright!"

"Wait wha-"

"_**PERSONA"**_

For what was I'm pretty sure the third time that night, Junpei and Chidori summoned their Personae at the same time. And then burnt the hell out of something. Or in this case...

"_**RENDING WILDFIRE"**_

...Everything on the bridge that wasn't SEES, a car, a coffin, or the bridge itself was now dying horribly in fire that sounded rather literally like something was being rent asunder by pure heat. It was fairly terrifying to hear... Of course I didn't get to dwell on it, because the helicopter was coming crashing down right about where we were all currently standing. It seemed like the entire bridge shook when it impacted the ice walls we'd been using for cover. After a few seconds of nothing happening, we started to approach the downed vehicle. It was pretty clearly shadow matter, with parts of it dissolving much like Shadows do. A side panel suddenly opened and something was shoved out. It took us a couple of moments to register that it was one of the Soldier Shadows.

It took us until the first 'beep' to realize it had a bomb with a hanged man mask on it strapped to its chest.

"Oh fuck-" I heard Mitsuru start to say before the next thing I knew, there was a really fucking loud explosion and I was flying through the air.

There was shouting around me. I couldn't tell where, but I think I recognized a voice or two. One was Yukari, another was Aigis. I think my hat fell off. It was hard to tell because, apart from that whole 'oh shit I'm flying through the air potentially off a fucking bridge' factor I was experiencing, something else was going on in my head.

-Genbu.-

I felt a tug in my mind.

-Byakko.-

Another tug.

-Seiryu.-

Now it's feeling about like when Igor is taking Personas from me to fuse them...

-Suzaku.-

And then everything clicked into place within my mind as I slammed my hand on my Evoker.

_**"KOHRYU!"**_

An explosion of blue light filled the air around me, and next thing I know I'm sitting on something. Something very big, very scaly, and very likely to ruin shit that pisses it off.

"Wha-! What is this?"

I turned my head around and, to my surprise, Yukari and Koromaru are sitting on this thing as well.

And 'this thing' appears to be a massive golden dragon.

-So Pharos, my night just got a hell of a lot more awesome...-

_'I can see that, now get your ass back up here with Puff the Oriental Dragon! The Shadow's grabbed a chunk of the chopper and is using it as a weapon to surprising effectiveness up here.'_

-On it!- "You two okay?"

Koromaru barked while Yukari nodded slowly. How the hell we were all managing to fit on the nape of this thing's neck is beyond me.

"Yukari, grab Koro and then hang onto something!" I said. "We're going back up!"

"O-okay!" she replied, scooping up the Shiba before carefully gripping the hair coming off the back of the dragon's head. "Where did you get this...?"

"Beats me!" I answered, holding onto the hair as well as the gold dragon flew back towards the bridge. "Must be a Wild Card thing I didn't know about yet!"

"That keeps happening!"

"Yeah, it's kind of annoying that I just get to find this shit out at random!" I commented as Kohryu got close enough for us to get off. "Here's our stop!"

"Roy!" "Yukari!" "Koro-chan!"

Aigis was quick to latch onto me, which was fine because now I was getting a good look at the Persona I summoned. For one, Kohryu is BIG. Like, it's coiling itself around the bridge without TOUCHING the bridge and is now staring down at where the Hanged Man is. It appeared to be holding colored orbs in each of its claws, and I'll be damned if the sight of a massive, golden dragon looming over a bridge with a full moon for a backdrop wasn't fucking awesome. The Shadow, however, appeared to be terrified. I imagine if it was human, it'd have shit a brick by now.

I snapped my fingers and pointed at the Shadow. Kohryu responded in kind with a roar before it lunged at the Shadow, golden scales glittering in the moonlight, and then had itself a light snack consisting of the Hanged Man and the remains of its helicopter. The dragon reared back and roared once more before disappearing.

"...Is it over...?"

_{...It's over...} _replied Fuuka. _{The Shadow's gone! We did it!}_

"HELL YEAH~!" cheered Hamuko.

"Talk about a big finish, though..." Ken commented. "A giant dragon? Where did that come from?"

I shrugged. "Wild Card shenanigans? I don't know and I don't care! It's not like I'm gonna need to throw it at random bullies at Gekkoukan or anything."

"Operation completed. Or should I say, 'Mission Complete'?"

"Either would be accurate, Aigis." chuckled Mitsuru. "It's finally over..."

"I believe a celebration is in order!" Aigis insisted. "What will be our victory cheer?"

I threw up my arms. "Who the fuck cares? We did it!"

"One... two... three... Who the fuck cares, we did it!"

To say that the entirety of SEES spent the next ten minutes laughing their collective asses off would be an understatement. Thankfully we managed to stop.

"Oh my god, Aigis..." Yukari laughed. "What WAS that?"

Aigis shrugged. "A thing."

"So, uh... Senpai..." began Junpei. "...What happens to Chidori now...?"

Everyone went dead quiet.

"...I don't see why she can't stay at the dorm." Mitsuru said after what probably seemed like an eternity to Junpei. "There is one spare room left on the third floor..."

"Wait, what?"

"S-senpai, you serious?"

Mitsuru nodded with a small smile on her face. "Of course. As I understand, she's the daughter of a close friend of Asami-san... and it's quite evident she's fond of you, Iori. I see no reason why she can't stay, especially with this being the last instance of the Dark Hour. She would have to attend school, however..."

"...But I'd get to stay at your dorm if I did? Not the hospital?"

Another nod from the upperclassman. "Yes."

A small smile curled its way onto Chidori's lips.

"I think this calls for a party." I said. "What do you think, Junpei ol' pal?"

"Hell yeah!" He agreed. "Whaddya say, senpai?"

Mitsuru chuckled. "I suppose I could arrange for it... it's not every day you do something this amazing."

"Yes! In that case, would you be okay with ordering us sushi?"

"Oh now there's something I haven't had in a while..." commented Akihiko. "I'm calling dibs on the halibut and sea urchin now, those are my favorites."

"To the point he refuses to put that protein crap on it." said Shinjiro. "I'm not kidding, either."

Yukari let out a laugh. "Now that I've gotta see."

"Oh, senpai? Can you order tamago for me?" asked Ken. "I'm not a big fan of sushi."

"Okay, okay." said Mitsuru, holding up her hands. "I'll have the very best delivered tomorrow evening."

I held out a closed fist to Junpei. "Hell yeah?"

"Hell yeah." he said, bumping fists with me. "Great time to be alive, bro."

"Totally."

"...I guess we get to say farewell to all of this, huh?"

We all turned towards Hamuko and Fuuka, who were looking up at the moon.

"Yes... and despite myself, I feel... reluctant to see it go." said Mitsuru.

"Well, you and me have had this as part of our lives for about ten years." I noted. "Gonna be weird adjusting to it not being around..."

I heard a few murmurs of agreement before Fuuka spoke up.

"...We did it, didn't we everyone...?"

"Yeah..." said Shinji. "Saved the world, but nobody will ever know besides us."

"And y'know what?" I commented. "That's fine with me."

* * *

><p>I'm positive everyone slept amazingly well once we got back to the dorm. I actually woke up early, for me on a school day anyways, and saw Pharos sitting on my desk.<p>

"Mornin' little buddy." I said, sitting up in bed.

"Nice weather outside, huh?" he commented, looking out the window. "A bright new day... and not just for you."

Eyebrow. "Oh?"

He nodded. "I remember. I remember everything. There's someone I have to see..."

"Who?"

"My grandmother." he said, smiling happily. "I know where she is... I know what I have to do."

I smiled. "That's great!"

"Yeah, but..." the smile faded from his face. "...As much as I don't want it to be the case, I'm afraid this is goodbye."

"...Goodbye...?"

"There's a lot I have to do, and a long way to go..." Pharos sighed. "But, I want you to know something. For me, our friendship was a miracle. Sadly it doesn't seem like miracles last forever."

I chuckled. "Death is change, not the end Pharos. You should know that better than anyone."

"Ha! True..." he admitted, hopping off the desk and walking over to the bed. "It's not like I can't come visit. Maybe I could even bring my grandmother with me..."

I smirked as he sat next to me on the bed. "That'd be pretty cool, Pharos. What's she like?"

"She's... wonderful." He said, almost whimsically. "A kind woman who doesn't let others push her around."

I laughed. "Sounds like my grandma Tamiko."

"How many relatives do you even HAVE?"

"Mom's side there's just Kihei and their parents Masaru and Tamiko." I said. "Dad's side there's his siblings Shane and Melissa, Melissa's husband, their son Alex, then Grandpa Rowen and his wife Tia."

"Huh... big family you have there."

I shrugged. "I guess..." I nudged him with my elbow. "Just make sure you come back and visit sometime, okay?"

Pharos chuckled. "Alright, I promise. But before I go, there's something I want to leave with you..."

"What?"

He took my hand and shook it, and I felt an odd tingle in my mind.

"A little something to watch out for you while I'm gone." he said with a smile.

"See ya Pharos." I said as he hopped off the bed and onto a windowsill. "It'll be boring without ya, though."

He chuckled again. "And here I was thinking the same thing..." Pharos smiled and waved. "Farewell for now, Roy."

And then he phased through the window and disappeared.

**CRASH**

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Death Arcana hath been set free._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Thanatos, the ultimate form of the Death Arcana..._

-Ha... what a note to leave on.- I thought as I stood up. -See you on the other side, little buddy.-

* * *

><p>Junpei was beside himself with glee the entire day at school, but I couldn't blame him. Ikutsuki turned up near the end of the day to talk to Aigis, leading to her saying she had to go to the lab with him for some post-Dark Hour refitting. Figure that means they're taking out the combat stuff in her arms and everything since there's no reason for her to still have that stuff at this point. I was still kinda sad that I had to walk home without her, but if it couldn't be helped then I probably shouldn't have moped like I did. Junpei insisted I help him get his homework done quick once we got back to the dorm. I'd say it was a surprise, but he totally just wanted an excuse to stick around at the party for as long as possible. And once the sushi arrived, I absolutely could not blame him.<p>

"Whoa... nice spread."

"The slices are huge!" exclaimed Yukari.

"Hey, where's Aigis?" asked Hamuko.

"The Chairman took her to the lab for a refit." I replied. "I guess they're taking off the gun arms or something like that, maybe?"

Chidori hummed. "That sounds like it would..." She looked around suddenly. "...Roy, what happened?"

Eyebrow. "What happened to what?"

"That presence I felt before... it's not near you anymore."

"You felt it too, Chidori?" asked Fuuka. "I wonder what it was..."

I shrugged. "Could've been anything, really..." -...I miss him already.-

The sound of a large car stopping outside was heard outside, prompting Mitsuru to stand up.

"That must be my parents..."

The lot of us walked over to the door as it opened, with Mitsuru's dad walking in with a couple of suit-clad bodyguards.

"We've been waiting for you..." she said, then looked confused. "But, where's mother?"

"She'll be arriving late, sadly." replied Takeharu. "Something she couldn't ignore came up, much to her displeasure... but, it's over at last, isn't it...?"

She nodded. "Yes. The Shadows have been eliminated."

"The congratulations are in order for you all." stated Takeharu, actually smiling. "You've done an excellent job. There are no words to express my gratitude and although you will never receive the recognition you deserve for your actions, it is undoubtedly a monumental achievement."

He took a step forward, placing a hand on Yukari's shoulder.

"To you, I owe a deeper debt." he continued. "For lending us your power even in the face of the hardships my company caused you and your family."

Yukari smiled sadly. "It's alright, and it's not like I did it alone..."

"Indeed..." agreed Takeharu, letting go of her and stepping back. "The Twelve Shadows that were the cause of all our troubles have been destroyed thanks to your efforts. You deserve the chance to experience the joys of youth instead of bearing this burden. The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad will be dissolved as of midnight tonight. No longer must you put your lives on the line in battle; come the morning, you can triumphantly return to a normal life."

"To be fair, I don't think any of us will make life at Gekkoukan 'normal' by a long shot." I noted. "We're all a bit too... colorful a collection of people, I'd say."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

I scoffed. "As if, Ken! I wouldn't trade you guys for anything."

"Like we'd let you go anyways." said Junpei, putting an arm around my shoulder. "You're stuck with us forever, dude."

Mitsuru chuckled. "Alright, clearly you've waited long enough. It's time to celebrate, so dig into your feast. No need to hold back; eat as much as you'd like-"

Me, Junpei, and Hamuko jumped straight into a three man mind sync and practically dove at the sushi with a shout of 'BANZAI' at the top of our lungs. I'm pretty sure Takeharu now officially thinks the three of us are completely insane.

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our-_

-SHUT UP FOOL ARCANA I'M EATING-

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, can I ask you something?"<p>

I looked up at Junpei with eyebrow raised and at least three pieces of sushi in my mouth.

"Sure, what is it?" asked Akihiko.

Junpei held up a camera. "You guys cool with taking a picture together? I wanted to take one last night, but I kinda forgot it wouldn't work in the Dark Hour..."

"...You had a camera in your pocket the entire time?"

"Well, it was our last battle so yeah..." he admitted, then he looked at one of the bodyguards. "Hey, mind taking the picture for us?"

Yukari sighed. "On one hand, I feel like a tourist. On the other... I kinda wanna be able to look back at this so what the heck. Sure."

"Sweet!" Junpei cheered. "Oh, wait... Aigis and the Chairman aren't here yet... eh, we can take another one later. C'mon everybody, gather round!"

* * *

><p>Hamuko and I finished inhaling the sushi we currently had half swallowed and joined everyone over by the door. I got to be in the back with Junpei and Shinjiro on account of lording over everyone like I'm Godzilla.<p>

"Everyone ready?" asked the bodyguard.

"You bet!"

"Knock it off."

"Aww..."

"C'mon, quit fooling around Junpei."

"I got this... SMILE!" And then I put both Shinjiro and Junpei into a headlock with each arm.

"HRK!" "GAH!"

"I REGRET NOTHING!" And there's the camera flash.

* * *

><p>Getting punched in both arms by Shinjiro and Junpei was totally worth it. Still regret nothing, by the way. The party kept going for a long time, but there was still no sign of Tenshi, Aigis, or Ikutsuki. Junpei, Hamuko, and I were also the only ones still eating everything in sight by then. I'm almost positive the two bodyguards were making bets as to which of us lasted the longest.<p>

"Oh come on, don't tell me you guys are full already!" Junpei exclaimed.

"Junpei, you skipped breakfast and lunch..." noted Chidori.

"And these two are black holes." said Shinjiro, gesturing to me and Hamuko.

Yukari was staring at us. "Where do you two put it all...?"

"I can't eat another bite, and they're still going..."

"I couldn't even classify this as some kind of endurance training..." said Akihiko, sounding equally perplexed. "I'd be sick by now if I ate like that..."

"You guys are frightening the children again..."

I just looked at Ken while Shinjiro started busting a gut.

"You are learning well, young one." I said, doing my best 'wise mentor' voice. "Soon, you too shall be a master."

He smirked. "I try my best..."

Koromaru let out a loud whine, drawing my attention to him. He was staring at the door from his seat on Chidori's lap.

"What's wrong, Koromaru?" asked the redhead, scratching the Shiba behind the ears.

He just whine again.

"He's probably wondering what's taking so long with Aigis..." commented Junpei, taking out his phone. "It's almost midnight, and you'd think Ikutsuki-san would-"

Chidori's head suddenly snapped towards Junpei. "Wait, Ikutsuki?"

**DOOM**

* * *

><p>Koromaru leapt off Chidori's lap and started barking as everyone else jumped to their feet. The bodyguards were now coffins. The Dark Hour was still around.<p>

"What the hell?" exclaimed Junpei. "I thought the Dark Hour was gone! Senpai, what's happening?"

"I-I don't know..." replied Mitsuru.

"How do you know Ikutsuki?" Chidori suddenly demanded. "Don't you know who that is?"

Hamuko looked at her curiously. "Um, the Chairman of our School?"

"He's the one who was selling Takaya and Jin the suppressants!" she said. "I remember them saying his name when they talked to him!"

"And why was he late?" asked Takeharu sharply.

"H-He said he had to do a post-Dark Hour refit on Aigis..." I replied shakily. "Over at the lab..."

Koromaru's ears perked up a moment before I could hear the chiming of a bell.

"...Do you guys hear that?" asked Yukari. "Is that a bell...?"

"Aragaki, go to your relatives house. NOW." said Mitsuru sharply. "Tell them to meet us at Tartarus."

"Tenshi should be there with them." added Takeharu. "She needed to speak with them about something."

Shinjiro nodded. "Right, I'll see you guys at the tower."

Fuuka was looking around nervously. "U-uh... what's going on...?"

"We're heading to Tartarus." stated Mitsuru. "That's the only place that sound could be coming from."

"We'd better prepare for a fight." said Akihiko as Shinjiro bolted out the door with Koromaru and Hamuko in tow. "I've got a bad feeling about this..."

* * *

><p>Addendum 115/09: And that's when it all went wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Hoo boy. This. This right here. This is where things get shaken up. Think about Roy's narration up to this point. Think about what he's said to people. What he's said to Pharos. His early chats with Akinari. His meltdown when Maiko was trapped in Tartarus. The sarashi on his arm. The fact he had a lot of friends back in the US that he left behind to come to Japan. The other 11/5/09 Addendums on earlier chapters.

Think about everything Roy Lawrence Fortune has said and done in A Fool Named Fortune: Reshuffled up to this point.

And be prepared to Switch It Up, because it's time to see if someone can face themselves in battle.


	26. Switch It Up: Aeon

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Delta XIII** - Heavy does not begin to describe this chapter. PREPARE YOUR BODY FOR INTENSE EMOTION. MWAHAHAHA!

**We Thought It'd Be Funny** - It's about get super real, man. Shit's gonna be on like Donkey Kong.

**rsdk525** - I needed a way to get Strega out of the rest of the story, hence why I bumped up the Chidori event and Takaya turned out to be a psychotic bastard. It runs in the family.

**Overlord Duelist** - Almost nothing in your review made any sense, but there's no Mirror Matches to be had here. A Certain Redhead's Shadow is a whole other beast this time around!

I'd like to thank **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts** again, as well as **Jenni Saba** and **Scarf Drilbur**, for helping me with this chapter! I got through it pretty quickly because, to quote everyone's favorite silver haired boxer, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Major Log Entry #26<br>Log Moderator: Roy Fortune  
>Log Entry Author: Gen. 7 ASU, Aigis<br>Date: 11/5/2009  
>Summary: Betrayal and Despair<br>Details:

It began immediately after school hours had ended on the Fourth. Chairman Ikutsuki requested I accompany him to the lab for a 'Post-Dark Hour Refit'. He claimed it was to ensure there would be no issues with my systems with the Dark Hour eradicated. Roy had been upset I would be away when I informed him, though I doubt either of us expected what followed to happen. The moment I entered the lab to rest on the docking station provided, all at once I felt something was not as it should be. The feeling proved correct once the diagnostics began.

Foreign data was abruptly uploaded into my system. Mere instants later, and I realized I was becoming a prisoner within my own mind. I attempted to override or otherwise cancel the upload, but to no avail. It was over from the moment it started. Approximately five minutes elapsed before the upload was complete, at which point I remained still. I had no control over my limbs. I couldn't even move my eyes.

"Stand."

My body moved as ordered, disengaging from the docking station. A low chuckle filled the air along side footsteps, until the source stopped in front of me.

Chairman Shuji Ikutsuki.

"Walk five paces to your left, then return to your current position."

Once more, my body did as ordered. When I had a clear view of his face again, he was smiling.

"Good..." he said. "An excellent, well behaved tool."

I cried out, attempting to demand an answer for what he was doing, but no sound came from my auditory communication systems. I had a mouth, but could not use it to scream.

"Come along now, Aigis." He began, starting to leave the room. I followed him automatically. "We have much to do."

* * *

><p>The next several hours were spent listening to muffled conversations. Ikutsuki had associates for some manner of scheme, but he was careful to be sure I did not overhear, presumably in the event his control over my body failed. At approximately Eleven pm, Ikutsuki had finished whatever sorts of preparations he had in store and he brought me with him to Gekkoukan High. All I could do was wait, steadily watching the seconds tick by on my internal clock. And when the Dark Hour came, Ikutsuki laughed as a bell rang above us. We had been deceived by this man intensely. I cursed my faulty memories, the ones that were inaccessible from before I was sealed away in the Yakushima Laboratory. They could have held the key to avoiding thus... not now, it was far too late.<p>

I felt a pit in my chest as rapid footsteps drew closer. SEES... my friends... and Roy... they were here. The approached the base of the tower, fire in their eyes... except for one.

Roy.

"Ikutsuki-san!" shouted Akihiko. He sounded angry.

"Aigis? Why are you here...?"

-I have no... Wait, Fuuka-san! Fuuka-san, can you hear me?- I screamed, but again no sound. Nor did Fuuka respond... whatever Ikutsuki had done was thorough. I couldn't even communicate via the psychic link she used to inform us of danger.

"She is here to merely fulfill her role..." replied Ikutsuki. "As a weapon."

"Aigis is not a weapon!" Roy snapped. That fire ignited in his eyes for a fleeting moment before it went out.

I was... afraid. Roy always had displayed an almost subconscious capacity to control his body's ability to express emotion. The only times he seemed so... vulnerable were the instances of Maiko-san being trapped in Tartarus and his reaction to the type of gun Takaya possessed. To see him seem so... empty... was painful...

"What the hell is this all about, Ikutsuki?" Junpei demanded.

"You told us the Dark Hour would disappear if we defeated those twelve Shadows!" shouted Akihiko. "That's why we all fought so hard, but now..."

"...What is your intention?" inquired Mitsuru. "It's clear to me now everything you've told us was a lie. You knew from the start the Dark Hour wouldn't disappear."

Ikutsuki laughed. "Excellent deduction Mitsuru. Shame it came far, far too late for you to stop it."

"So you tricked us?" asked Ken, anger mounting in his voice. "Used us like pawns because you couldn't do it yourself?"

"Everything is as I planned..." He replied evenly. "It's not unexpected for the Dark Hour and Tartarus to remain... In fact, I never intended to let you rid the world of them! Why else would I have informed Strega of your actions to make them oppose you? Antagonists add motivation, after all."

Chidori scowled. "Bastard..."

"But, I'm certain you're all curious..." continued Ikutsuki. "Curious about what the point was!"

"NOT AT FUCKING ALL!" Roy screamed, slamming his hand on his Evoker. "PERSONA!"

There was a deafening silence. Roy's eyes widened in terror. Nothing happened. Nothing had appeared. No Persona had heeded his call. He activated the Evoker again. And again. Over and over he slammed his hand against the button but nothing happened. SEES was staring at him in mixtures of shock and horror. My eyes, however, were drawn to something else... as much as they could be when they were not under my control.

A pair of glowing yellow orbs peering out of the shadows from some bushes behind everyone. They weren't there before Roy tried to summon a Persona.

Ikutsuki laughed, drawing the attention of everyone once more.

"My my, such big talk with no substance!" he said. "Do be patient, young man. As I was saying... the twelve Shadows were once part of a whole. They were destined to be reunited, and that was accomplished in no small part thanks to your efforts! Soon, Death, the almighty, shall arise and bring forth the Fall..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" spat Akihiko.

"The end of all shall come and free this world from despair!" proclaimed Ikutsuki. "The death of everything, but also the beginning! Ten years ago, I, too, was a scientist for the project we spoke of at Yakushima. The experiment went awry, but that is not why the Dark Hour and Tartarus were born. They manifested as a result of harvesting the Shadows' power – just as the experiment was designed to do. That is why your grandfather fathered so many Shadows and samples of powerful Shadows, Mitsuru! To bring about the Fall!"

Mitsuru shook her head in disbelief. "That can't be..."

"People have filled the world, yet turned it onto a void! The only hope of salvation lies in ruin! According to the prophecy, the Fall will be orchestrated by 'the Prince'. Once he has delivered us all, he shall rule the new world as King! The man who tried it ten years ago failed, but I will not; I shall succeed!"

"...I have a question for you."

Ikutsuki looked at Yukari. "Oh? What might that be?"

"...That video from my father... he said to defeat the Shadows..." She was trembling with fury. One of my sensors activated, stating that the wind speed was steadily beginning to climb. "Was that a lie, too? Did you just used my father to fulfill your sick, twisted scheme?"

"Ah, 'used' is such an ugly word..." he lamented. "But, while I did make a few modifications, he recorded it himself."

"You doctored it?" snarled Yukari.

"I corrected it. Your father was a superb scientist, so much so that I still respect his work to this day." replied Ikutsuki. "While others focused on the Shadows' abilities, he explored much more important things... alas, he could not comprehend the magnificent potential of the Fall..."

Another sensor began to alert me to high voltage levels.

"There's nothing 'magnificent' about killing people!" shouted Ken. "You've done nothing by lie and manipulate your way to what you wanted! That's the real reason you were so eager to get me to join SEES!"

Ikutsuki laughed. "Of course. In fact, I'd hoped you'd be the end of Aragaki. His return put my plans in danger, what with his sheer strength and distrust of me. Had he kept taking the suppressants, I likely never would've had to worry... but seeing as he's not here and you children clearly can't see the light..." He moved and suddenly my combat systems activated. "Aigis! Capture them for the sacrifice!"

"...Understood." said my voice as Orgia mode engaged. My body shot forward faster than I could comprehend.

I do not know exactly what happened at that point, but the last thing I remember was the look of terror and despair in Roy's eyes before I struck him.

* * *

><p>I was too fast for them, and too strong with Orgia Mode activated. Only Junpei and Akihiko had managed to last more than a single blow before incapacitation. I watched as I was forced to bring them all up the tower and lash them to large, metal crosses. Takeharu Kirijo had arrived in the middle of the task, and was quickly captured. I restrained Takeharu once all of SEES were on the crosses. I felt... so many things. Feelings I hadn't expressed before. Rage, fear, sorrow, helplessness... it was all surging within my mind as I was helpless to stop it.<p>

One by one, SEES began to awaken. Junpei and Yukari were the first.

"What the hell?"

"What is this?"

"FATHER!" shouted Mitsuru.

Takeharu tried to struggle free. "Ikutsuki... what is the meaning of this?"

"Just as it appears..." he replied. "They are to be sacrifices – harbingers of the Fall. The arrangements are complete; the prophecy shall be fulfilled."

"What!"

"You son of a bitch!" snarled Junpei, struggling against his restraints. I heard the metal groan in protest; he would not be restrained for long. "I'M GONNA RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Ikutsuki scoffed, pressing a button on his remote. The safety on my right arm's firearms was undone as the barrels were pointed at the back of Takeharu's head.

"You traitor!" shouted Takeharu. "Are you insane?"

"Of course not... but you know, your father was such an unlucky man." replied Ikutsuki. "Even after all this time, his own son does not understand his vision."

"My father was wrong! Death as deliverance... that is not an ideology anyone should ever embrace!"

Ikutsuki sneered. "Fool... you're nothing but a nuisance now. Aigis!"

-No!- I thought, willing my body to stop before it opened fire.

"Wait! Please, Aigis! No!"

_[Direct Order from Mitsuru Kirijo confirmed. Chairman Shuji Ikutsuki overruled.]_

The joy I felt when that alert came across my systems could not be described... but, I was still unable to act further.

"What are you doing?" spat Ikutsuki. "Do what you have been told!"

"Aigis, don't listen to him!" pleaded Roy. "You're not just some tool for him to use!"

-I'm... not...!- I thought, struggling against Ikutsuki's upload to regain control of my body. -I'm not...!-

"KILL HIM, AIGIS!" Ikutsuki roared, pointing the remote at me. "NOW!"

"EMERGENCY ASU OVERRIDE CODE: SERAPHIM!"

_[Code: SERAPHIM acknowledged. Lockdowns removed.]_

"I AM NOT YOUR PAWN!" I screamed, at last in control of my body again. My summoning routine was suddenly operating above normal parameters, Palladion appearing behind me as I released Takeharu. "I AM A PERSON, AND I REFUSE TO DO YOUR BIDDING!"

_**'I am thou... and thou art I...'**_

I heard shouting around me. I barely registered much beyond Koromaru suddenly appearing and snatching the remote away from Ikutsuki.

_**'From the sea of thine soul, the resolution of thine heart calls forth new power...'**_

Orange light shined from behind me as alerts flashed over my system. Palladion was changing.

_**'Palladion has given rise to Pallas Athena!'**_

Ikutsuki stepped back in shock as readouts covered my HUD. I was angry. So very anger. Thankfully, the rage steadily began to calm down once I noticed a hand on my shoulder. A gentle hand.

"Mother!"

"Nnngh... Damn it!" snarled Ikutsuki. "You were faster than I expected..."

Tenshi Kirijo merely glared at him. "Not fast enough, sadly."

"Daichi, help me get them down!"

I turned my head, and Shinjiro's uncle and grandfather were assisting him and Hamuko in getting the others down from the crosses.

"No..." stammered Ikutsuki, drawing my attention back to him. "No! I've waited years for this!" reached into his coat. "I WILL NOT BE DENIED!"

He quickly pulled a gun and fired twice. A flash of light enveloped one of Tenshi's hands before a thin, glowing barrier appeared before the two of us and Takeharu. The first bullet was nullified, but the second merely redirected itself and struck Takeharu in the lower left leg.

"Father!" shouted Mitsuru as she rushed over.

"Damn it..." Ikutsuki cursed, stepping back once more. "You and your blasted Asura Project..."

"I'm ashamed your previous ventures had slipped my notice for so long." said Tenshi, leaving her daughter to tend to her husband. "But, I suppose better late than never is an adequate phrase for this situation..."

He shook his head. "No... no, I'm not through yet! I still have an ace up my sleeve, you-"

"**Haha, oh man that's actually FUNNY! How long did it take you to come up with that one, ya psychopathic prick?"**

All eyes were drawn to the new, distorted sounding voice. At once, alerts sprang up... but I didn't pay them any mind as I stared in disbelief.

"**Of course, given how common that phrase is you probably just fucking stole it..."**

I looked over my shoulder, then back at the new arrival who stood a short ways behind Ikutsuki.

It was another Roy.

"**I doubt you've got an original bone in your body, what with the whole cliched 'end the world' plan bullshit you're spouting..." **continued the other Roy, his bright yellow eyes causing me to shudder, as a dark purple aura sprang up around him. **"And then you pull the 'I will not fail' crap before you try to shoot a guy? Wow man, how many Action Movies do you watch on a regular basis?"**

Ikutsuki looked between the two Roys, pointing his gun at the yellow eyed one.

"W-where did you come from?" he demanded, not taking his eyes off the strange replicant.

"**Oh y'know, deep dark parts of that lying fuck's head." **said the other Roy, casually gesturing to the one standing behind me. **"But I'm willing to take a detour from airing out the skeletons in his padlocked closet for a minute on account of one thing..."**

Ikutsuki was shaking now. "And what's that...?"

The doppelganger suddenly rushed him, his hand quickly wrapping itself around his neck.

"**Getting you to shut the flying fuck up, you nihilistic prick." **spat the other Roy. **"I got business and you're in the way, so y'know what? You wanna die so bad, then allow me to HELP!"**

On that last word, his hand violently closed around Ikutsuki's neck. Most of his throat was quickly crushed, reduced to ravaged flesh compressed to bone. It took mere moments for Ikutsuki to die.

"**Rot in hell."** he said, dragging the dead man over to the edge of the tower before throwing his body off. He looked at the blood covered hand, shaking it off before black mist surrounded it for a moment. When it disappeared, his hand was clean of blood as he turned and walked towards us. **"Now, back to business..."**

"What.. the hell...?" stammered Junpei. "Roy, did you... always have an evil twin?"

"N-no... I..."

The replica scoffed. **"Oh like you've ever told the truth to anyone here ya poker faced asshole."**

"H-Huh...?"

"**You heard me, hat for brains!"** it continued. "**You lie and cheat seven ways from Sunday simply because you can! You barely have an honest bone in your body."**

"T-that's bullshit!" Roy said quickly. "I don't lie to my friends...!"

The other Roy laughed. **"Oh you lie to them the most and you know it! C'mon, think about it; They've unloaded on you with a lot of shit about themselves but how much do you ever say about yourself? Not fucking much, if anything at all, that's what!"**

I looked at Roy. He was shaking his head, panic in his eyes.

"I don't!" he repeated, his voice shaking.

"**Really, just gonna keep telling yourself that?" **asked the doppelganger, crossing his arms. **"Do I have to actually list off what you've done in order to get you to deal with it?"**

Roy shook his head again. "No... you're lying... y-you have to be...!"

"**HA! That's rich, pal. You know was well as I do that I ain't lying!" **countered his duplicate, who started counting off on his fingers. **"But let's see... apart from having to explain Velvet Room like three times I think, you've neglected to tell everyone here, INCLUDING the metal babe you're so smitten with, about Social Links, the spooky voices that come with them, Pharos, why you left behind everyone you knew in Seattle so readily, the reason you wear those stupid wrappings on your right arm, and... oh I dunno, the exact details about how the hell you met that African Spider God who turned out to be semi-related to how you even GOT all your Wild Card persona bullshit powers to begin with?"**

Roy didn't say anything, his eyes wide. I'd never seen someone look so afraid.

"**Awww, what? No snappy comeback now?" **jabbed the other Roy. **"Fine by me, I probably need to actually, y'know, EXPLAIN that whole 'Social Link' thing! It's kind of important, y'know!"**

"Roy-kun, what is-"

"IT'S NOTHING!" He shouted in a panic. "H-he's lying!"

"**No I'm nooooot~!" **sang the duplicate. **"Social Links are literally this motherfucker here harvesting energy to make himself stronger via the oh so magical power of ~FRIENDSHIP~! He's just exploiting the lot of you! Especially Aigis... ah, but she's in another league because you LOOOOVE~ her, and clear as day she does too! But in the end, you're just playing her like a saxophone and don't give a-"**

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Roy screamed.

"**Oh, I struck a NERVE~! I know I did, and ya wanna know why? Because I AM you! I know everything you know, every-"**

"I SAID SHUT UP!" roared Roy, rushing at his replica. "YOU'RE NOT ME!"

The doppelganger caught Roy's fist, then grabbed his face.

"**NOT ANYMORE I'M NOT!"** it laughed. **"And I'll be taking all of THIS with me!"**

Roy let out a scream that will forever haunt my mind as his duplicate laughed psychotically before kicking him away. He landed harshly on the ground, Hamuko and Fuuka quickly rushing over to him as black mist and energy circled the duplicate.

"**IT'S FUCKING SHOWTIME, BITCHES!"** bellowed the other as it was enveloped in the mist completely for a few brief moments before a bright light pierced out from within, the replica laughing all the while. The mist exploded outwards, forcing me to look away for a moment, and what I saw when I could look again... it frightened me.

It was... a large version of Roy, dressed in a black suit. Roughly fifteen feet tall. But that wasn't what stood out about it.

Red and blue wires erupted from a gash in its right arm, wrapping around it several times. Pieces of heavy tank armor were haphazardly bolted to its legs. Several large knives were tucked into the belt around its waist. What seemed to be a modified version of a tank cannon was attached to its back. Its right hand held a massive sword with an oddly large handle. It was as if someone replaced the weapon's actual handle with some manner of scepter. A shield was mounted on the left arm, appearing to be made of a roulette wheel and the winged ring that held the Hanged Man shadow's helicopter aloft. An odd headdress seemed to be attached to its hat, while the hair on its head was bone white on the right half and pitch black on the left. An odd mask with a cartoonish version of Roy's face smiling with pointed teeth covered its face, while a strange, pointed guard attached to the sides of its head and covering its chin. The eyes of the mask looked like diagonal half circles in a way that would evoke an 'angry' expression, though there were merely holes for the burning yellow eyes of the creature to stare through. Its chest, though... it appeared to be torn open, with a mechanical heat covered in golden spikes contained inside of it.

"**I am a Shadow... the True Self..."** said the newly transformed creature. **"Your luck has all run out, fools! Got a bad hand, and now I'M GONNA KILL YA FOR IT!"**

It raised the sword above its head.

"**GET LOST!"**

"Look out!"

A blast of energy washed across the platform, forcing us to brace ourselves so as not to be blown off.

"What the hell is going on?" shouted Akihiko.

"It's a Berserk Shadow!" answered Tenshi. "Mitsuru, help them deal with it! I'll watch your father!"

"Alright!"

"Senpai, Roy's not waking up!"

"Yamagishi, set up and guard Fortune while we handle the Shadow!"

"I will!"

"**Aww, that's cute!"** scoffed the Shadow. **"Helping the little bastard even after you know the truth? Ha! I'll make your deaths slow and painful!"**

Yukari retorted with several wind-infused arrows. Two managed to imbed themselves in its right arm before it could block with the shield.

_{I've... I've never seen a Shadow like this before! It... It feels almost identical to Roy-kun!}_

"We'll still have to beat it!" said Ken, brandishing his spear. "Good thing I still have those cards he gave me to hold my gear..."

"**HA! Like that little toothpick is gonna save you!"**

A bolt of lightning striking the Shadow drew its attention to Akihiko and Shinjiro.

"He's not all you have to worry about!" shouted the silver haired Boxer.

"**Not like I'm worried about you either!"** laughed the Shadow, unleashing another wave of energy across the battlefield.

"HASSOU TOBI."

The sound of clashing blades rang through the air as an armored figure lashed out at the Shadow, its thin swords locked with the massive blade its foe held. How it'd managed to catch the attack and not sustain heavy damage was beyond me.

"**Ah ah ah, stay outta this old timer!"** said the Shadow. **"This is between ME and these small fry!"**

A sphere of lightning suddenly slammed into the Shadow's chest, knocking it back. Roland's Atma form rebounded from the impact and landed next to the other figure, likely Daichi's Persona.

"Sorry, not my place to listen to assholes!" Roland mockingly apologized.

"Nor mine." added Daichi.

The Shadow staggered in place, fixing its gaze on the two of them angrily.

"**Hmph... fine then." **It said, stabbing its blade into the roof before grabbing the cannon on its back. **"GUESS I'LL JUST GO THROUGH YOU AS WELL!"**

"Persona!" I shouted, calling forth Athena. She appeared before me, a large shield held forward as the Shadow attacked. The blast impacted a large barrier of purple energy, and I felt myself strain as the wall took the brunt of it. I didn't have much time to ponder on my new Persona's appearance beyond its brown hair, golden armor, and white robes before the Shadow started attacking again.

"**C'MON, THAT ALL YA GOT?"** it taunted, launching another blast from the cannon before retrieving its sword. **"BUNCHA WORTHLESS PUNKS!"**

"Shut up!" snapped Shinjiro, summoning Vaisravana. The spear wielding Persona launched a stone spike the same size as a motorcycle at the Shadow, but it smashed it aside with its shield. "Damn it, what the hell is with this thing?"

_{I don't know! It's projecting some kind of field around itself to absorb most of the damage, but I can't find a way through it!}_

"**Hey now, you spoiling the surprise?" **quipped the Shadow, blocking an attack from Chidori's Persona only for Junpei's to catch it off guard. **"Gah, stop fucking doing that ya little shits!"**

"No!" shouted Hamuko as both herself and Mitsuru unleashed a barrage of ice shards at it. The Shadow had a hard time blocking all of them.

"**Fucking damn it, that's getting really annoying you cotton candy haired psycho-" **It was cut off when Themis violently stabbed it in the back. **"-GAAAAAAH FUCKING HELL THAT WAS MY SPINE YOU JUST IMPALED YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"**

Ken chuckled. "Guess my tactics are just too subtle for you!"

"**Oh hardy har-"**

"I summon thee!"

"**-FUUUUUUCKING COLD!"** it yelped after an attack from Mitsuru struck it in the head. **"Not okay!"**

"Hey, y'know what killed the dinosaurs?" asked Hamuko.

"**Oh you're not gonna-"**

"THE ICE AGE!"

The Shadow howled in pain and annoyance as spikes of ice shot up from around it. **"WHO LET HER WATCH BATMAN AND ROBIN I'M GONNA KILL THEM FIRST!"**

_{Keep it up! It feels like the field is weakening!}_

"Musashi!"

Daichi's Persona once more lunged at the Shadow, exchanging blows before being swatted aside by the shield.

"**Alright, FUCK THIS NOISE!" **it roared, slamming its sword into the ground again. **"YOU GOT A DEAD MAN'S HAND COMING YOUR WAY!"**

It quickly swung the cannon around and fired three times – Once towards Daichi and Roland, once at Shinjiro, Akihiko, and Yukari, and the final shot was a sweeping blast of energy I was forced to avoid. However, in doing so I realized what the Shadow's actual intent was; To disrupt Fuuka.

She screamed as the ground beneath Juno exploded, dispelling her Persona, sending her flying in one direction and Roy's unconscious body in another.

"**AND NOW HE DIES!" **

Everyone was too scattered and disoriented from evading the previous attack to react to the Shadow quickly hurling its massive sword right at Roy. I found myself screaming as the blade flew through the air, but... something happened that I didn't expect.

Roy moved.

He caught the massive sword, landed, then hurled it right back at the Shadow. It was so abrupt that nobody had the time to react with more than surprised shouting. I could tell something was off, though. Roy wasn't moving like he normally would. His movements were too... rough. Something else was making him move, and I was sure of it when I saw his eyes. They were glowing blue.

"_Come forth O god of Death..."_ he said, his voice sounding... different. Like someone else was speaking at the same time he was. _"THANATOS!"_

He slammed his hand onto his evoker, his body going limp and collapsing to the ground again as a large figure exploded into existence out of blue mist. It was the same thing that had appeared when Maiko-san was trapped in Tartarus. The one with the pointed white mask and a cape of coffins. It was the I realized that the lower part of its own mask resembled the odd guard on the Shadow.

Thanatos let out a savage roar, flying straight at the Shadow and knocking it to the ground.

"**What the-?"** it stammered, trying to get the Persona off of him. **"Where did you-?"**

A roar was the response before Thanatos smashed its head against the Shadows, breaking off part of the mask it wore.

"**No... You!"** shouted the Shadow, suddenly appearing to be covered with Television static for a moment. **"Y-You're what the kid left behind! G-GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"**

It shoved the Persona off, staggering to its feet and grabbing its sword. The entire attitude of the Shadow had changed... and it was clear that under the mask it wore that it was afraid.

"**S-stay back!" **It said, shakily pointing the blade at Thanatos. **"D-Don't come near me!"**

_{The field's gone! It's open to attack!}_

"Aki!"

"Right behind you!"

"_**PERSONA"**_

The Shadow's head jerked suddenly in the direction of Shinjiro and Akihiko.

"_**WRATH OF KINGS"**_

The sky boomed with thunder before a multitude of lightning strikes and energy blasts suddenly rained down on the Shadow. It screamed in agony as the attack tore away at its body until it eventually subsided. The Shadow looked very worse for wear, with burn marks all over it. Its body convulsed with electricity, as if it had been overstimulated by the attack.

"**S-stay back..." **it stammered, trying to keep its balance. It sounded terrified, even though Thanatos had disappeared. **"S-stay away... I-I'll kill you...!"**

I heard Koromaru howl as Cerberus suddenly rushed the Shadow, violently knocking the sword out of its grip and sending the weapon a long ways away from the Shadow. It flung the canine persona away, firing another blast from its cannon. The blast impacted near Ken, launching him towards the edge.

"KEN!" shouted Shinjiro as the young boy went over the edge.

"TOO SUBTLE!"

My head snapped back towards the Shadow, where Ken had somehow descended from above it and slammed his spear into its back, kicking his way off the Shadow and prying the cannon off of it.

"**W-w-what the fuck?" **sputtered the Shadow, backing away from Ken. **"How the shit did you just do that?"**

"Holy shit, did Ken just break physics to do something amazing?"

Yukari fired a wind-energized arrow at the Shadow, shattering the mask on its face completely. "Stay focused, Akihiko-senpai!"

"**L-Leave me alone!"** yelled the Shadow. **"J-JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!"**

"Usas!" "Penthesilea!"

Several ice spikes tore away at its legs, ripping off the tank armor.

"**S-stop...!"**

"Hestia!"

A fireball blasted the knives out of its hand when it tried to use them.

"**N-no! STOP!"**

"Caesar!"

Akihiko's Persona rushed forward with an electrified blade in hand and sliced the cables off of its right arm.

"**I SAID STOP!"**

"TRISMEGISTUS!"

Junpei's Persona slammed into the Shadow, obliterating the shield it carried.

"**PLEASE, STOP!" **the Shadow begged, struggling to keep its balance. **"LEAVE ME ALONE! I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ALONE!"**

"Athena!"

My own Persona appeared and hurled its golden spear at the Shadow, piercing right through the exposed robotic heart in its torso. The Shadow staggered back, clutching the spear. It looked down at the wound as it fell to its knees, the spear vanishing a moment later.

"**I... I'm..."** it sputtered as its body started to become discolored, looking up at us with fear in its eyes. **"Scared..."**

The Shadow collapsed to the ground, exploding with black mist on impact.

_{You did it!}_

"Holy crap, what the hell kind of Shadow was that thing?" asked Junpei. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"I wanna know what it did to Roy!" said Hamuko. "Did you see how he was acting?"

"...It seems you're not quite through with it."

At Daichi's observation, I looked towards where the Shadow had fallen. The replica of Roy was in its place, struggling to sit up.

"It's still alive?"

"I'll get it, Mitsuru." said Akihiko, marching towards the Shadow. "Just give me a sec."

It spotted him, then started scurrying away as best it could while still on the ground. The amount of fear in its eyes was staggering.

"...wait..."

I gasped as I turned around. "Roy?"

"Akihiko... wait..." he said, trying to push himself up. I hurried over and helped him to his feet. "Don't..."

"Roy!" "Are you okay?"

Akihiko turned around, looking confused. "Why? It's a Shadow. It needs to be destroyed."

"Sanada, that Shadow could very well be a part of his psyche you dense oaf." snapped Tenshi. "If you destroy it, who knows what could happen to him!"

He froze in place. "What...?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up!" exclaimed Junpei. "Why would a Shadow be part of Roy?"

"What do you think Personae are?" asked Tenshi, sounding absolutely astounded. "Some manner of magic that manifested in response to the sudden emergence of Shadows? Personae ARE Shadows! They're manifestations of repressed human thought! Why else would you need a Persona, another manifestation of human thought, to fight them?"

Everyone suddenly looked at the cowering Shadow near Akihiko.

"So... that's Roy's Persona...?" asked Hamuko. "But... then why is it...?"

"...Let me handle it..." said Roy, staggering slowly over to his doppelganger. I wanted to stop him, but... it felt wrong to try.

"Roy, you-"

"Let him." Roland said sharply, cutting Yukari off.

Akihiko backed away as Roy approached, the Shadow staring up at him with fear in its eyes.

"Here..." he said, extending a hand to his Shadow. "Stand up."

The Shadow hesitated before taking his hand, Roy pulling his other self to their feet.

"...Guess my poker face isn't as good as I thought, huh?" he asked his replica, letting out a bitter laugh. "And here I was hoping I could keep what you are locked away... to never have to acknowledge what you are. Seems even my problems can't be weird in a normal way..."

He sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair.

"...I'm sorry." Roy apologized. "You... you were right. About everything. I'm not an honest person... I've spent so long hiding things, I just... do it without thinking about it too much. But that's where you came from, huh? You're that part of me I couldn't bare to look at. The part of me I couldn't face... everything I'm afraid to see and afraid to say..."

I couldn't see the look on his face, but I think Roy smiled.

"...You're me after all, huh?"

The Shadow blinked, then smiled brightly and nodded. A warm, blue light surrounded it before it vanished, replaced by a floating card. Roy reached out and touched it, the blue light enveloping him for a moment before fading, the card along with it. He sighed as he suddenly sat down on the ground, everyone from SEES rushing over to him.

"Hell of a way for all that come out..." he commented quietly, not looking at us.

"Yeah, but it worked out in the end right?" asked Junpei.

Roy didn't answer.

"What's wrong? It's no big deal man-"

"Junpei, were you not fucking listening when it was talking?" Roy snapped, turning his head to look at Junpei. He was crying... and he looked angry. "I fucking lied! I lied to you all about everything!"

He recoiled back a step. "Whoa, calm down man!"

"Why bother?" asked Roy, looking away. "I've already fucked everything up bad enough as it is. Between what happened with Maiko-chan, to this bullshit with Ikutsuki and that other me... I've reached the apex of making a mess of things at this point. And with all that shit out in the open... I'd understand if you guys wanted me out of the dorm."

"Roy-kun, what are you talking about?" Fuuka inquired. "Why would we want you to leave?"

"Oh I dunno, because I'm a fucking parasite effectively feeding off friendship energy harvested from hanging out with you guys or some shit like that?" he said. "I've done nothing but deceive you all from the word go." Roy steadily pushed himself to his feet. "...I don't deserve to be around great people like you. Just... let me get back to the dorm and I'll pack my stuff." He started to turn around. "You can make the calls or whatever to-"

Roy was interrupted by Hamuko slapping him across the face extremely hard. He actually had to catch himself to avoid falling over.

"Roy Lawrence Fortune, do you even HEAR the stupid shit coming out of your mouth right now?" she demanded.

He stared blankly into the air for a moment before he finally put his hand on his face where she'd struck him, slowly turning his head back to look at her.

"H-huh...?"

"You heard me!" she said. "Do you honestly think we'd have gone through the trouble of kicking the ass of your manifested insecurities if we didn't give a damn about you?"

"And I pretty distinctly remember you saying earlier you wouldn't trade us for anything." added Ken.

"But..."

Junpei smacked him in the arm. "But nothing, man! Ken's right, dude, and don't forget we saw how completely mental you went when Maiko was in trouble. If you're trying to tell me that's fake, you are the worst goddamn liar on the face of the planet and next time I will personally HOLD YOU while Hamu-tan slaps the stupid out of your head! None of my friends are allowed to say stupid shit like that, least of all my BEST friend!"

Fuuka nodded sharply. "You really shouldn't put yourself down, Roy-kun... you're always there to give everyone so much confidence and support. I don't think that's something anyone could fake, especially not someone like you."

"Agreed on both accounts." said Mitsuru. "And Fortune? If you keep brow-beating yourself like this for being as insecure as any human being as the right to be, Iori won't the be only one holding you down while Arisato slaps you."

Roy didn't respond. I don't think we were getting through to him.

"Exactly. You screwed up, but it's stupid to think you're the only one who ever will at any point in their life." added Akihiko. "We don't think any less of you for it, and it seems like a rough subject to talk about in the first place."

"You are... a very kind person, Roy." said Chidori. "You're not the kind of person who'd just gather power from others and run off; the fact you're breaking down in guilt over it proves that."

Yukari nodded. "Yeah. Nevermind that you've had to put up with some or all of us being downright unreasonable sometimes. I don't think you'd have gone through the trouble of helping us if you just wanted to make yourself stronger."

"...I'm not..." sighed Roy. "I'm just... a worthless, goof for nothing piece of-"

"Don't say that!" I exclaimed. "You're not worthless, Roy."

"...Aigis...?"

I felt my body tremble involuntarily. "I... I still don't know why I had such a strong desire to stay close to you when we first met. But now... I don't care. I found a reason to stay by your side, regardless of whatever drew me to you initially." I approached him and embraced him tightly. "I love you, Roy... you mean so much to me. I can't... I can't bear to see you like this..."

Within a moment, I felt his arms around me, his head resting against mine.

"I don't deserve this..." Roy said, his voice thick with sorrow. "I don't deserve to be loved... to have friends like you guys. I... never showed empathy back home. Things happened and I felt nothing..." I felt him cling to me more tightly. "I couldn't even mourn when my parents died... I'm a horrible excuse for a friend and a person... a bum not worth anyone's time of day..."

"Hah... I wondered why somethin' seemed off. It's like I'm listening to a recording of myself." said Shinjiro. "Right down to not being able to mourn my folks when they died..." He shook his head lightly. "We're a lot alike, y'know. You put up your own facade, but it's not to keep people out like I try to do; it's you trying to hide parts of yourself because you're scared of being shut out by everyone around you. And if you'd actually listen to everyone instead of wallowing in that self loathing, you'd know none of us want to actually do that. But from the way you're acting, looks like I'm not the only one who needs to work on their self-confidence, huh?" He approached Roy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "So stop beating yourself up, y'hear? We've got your back."

Roy didn't say anything, but he suddenly raised his head. It took me a moment to hear the sounds of a child crying to discover why. I let go of Roy and looked in the direction of the sobbing, but what I saw confused me. It was an... oddly familiar child, sitting near the edge of the platform. I estimated their age as no more than six years.

**"Mom... dad..."** sobbed the child. **"W-where are you...?"**

"...Is that another Shadow...?" wondered Hamuko. "But..."

**"Where did you go...?"** the child continued. **"Why did you leave...?"**

"Roy... I think you're up again."

Roy looked at Shinjiro. "...Huh...?"

He gestured to the child. "Look at the hair on the kid. Seems a lot like yours, albeit on someone about ten years younger."

"I don't understand... a human should only possess a single Shadow." said Tenshi. "Even with his ability, he shouldn't have more than one..."

Roy suddenly started to approach the child, sitting down next to them.

"Hey." he said. "What's wrong, kid?"

The child sniffled. **"I... I can't find m-my mom and dad..."**

"...Where'd you last see them?"

**"O-on the bridge..."** replied the child, pointing out at the skyline of Port Island. He seemed to be indicating the Moonlight Bridge. **"W-we were driving home, but then there was a crash..."** Another sob escaped him. **"...And n-now... now I can't find them... o-or the angel lady..."**

Roy tilted his head slightly. "Angel lady?"

The child nodded. "She was really pretty... I wanted to ask her for help, but... she disappeared too." They looked up at Roy, tears in their bright yellow eyes. "...D-Did she take mom and dad away...?"

"...Yeah." he replied. "She had to take them somewhere they wouldn't get hurt..."

I heard Junpei hum somewhat loudly.

"Really pretty...? I wonder..."

**"...Why?"** asked the child, his sobs intensifying. **"Why did she have to take them away? Why couldn't they stay?"**

Roy pulled the child onto his lap and hugged him. "They had to get better. That's why they had to go."

**"S-so they won't get hurt again...?"**

Roy nodded. "Yeah... so they won't get hurt again."

**"...So... they're okay...?"** asked the child.** "Really?"**

"Yeah, really."

They sniffled. **"...How do you know, mister?"**

"Because, well..." Roy began. "...Do I look familiar at all?"

The child seemed confused. **"...A little... you... look kinda like me, but bigger..."**

"Why do you think that is?"

They blinked. **"...Because you are me?"**

Roy smiled. "Yeah. I'm you, and you're me."

The child smiled, climbing off Roy's lap and standing up. Blue light surrounded it as Roy stood and took a few steps back towards the rest of us, the child vanishing a moment later as two figures and two cards appeared. One figure was his Persona Shade, the other was the Persona Anansi.

_**'I am thou... thou art I...'**_

The two personae gleamed with light before suddenly both being reduced to orbs that crashed together in violent fusion.

_**'The acceptance of thine self has healed thine damaged soul...'**_

The result of the orbs combining soon made itself manifest into a new Persona. It stood the same height as Shade, though more of the features reminded me of Anansi. The long, charcoal gray coat it wore reached to about its shins, several dull silver spiderweb patterns scattered about its surface. Black gloves with gray fingers covered its hands, four total like its arms. A light gray, spider-themed mask covered most of its face, the mask itself contrasting with the sandy brown hair on its head with the bangs covering the top edge of the mask. Four light orange eyes peered out through a like number of holes cut in it, while the lower half of its face was covered by a short scarf that matched the color of the ribbon around my neck. A tan shirt was faintly visible behind a brown vest under the jacket, while a white belt with a silver buckle held the jacket closed at the waist and loose black pants covered its legs, tucking into heavy burgundy boots that came up to just below its knees.

_**'Thou hast restored the form of thine true self, Anansi...'**_

The 'new' Anansi vanished in a burst of blue flame, replaced by a card much like his Shadow had been before. Roy reached out and took it, turning to face us with the card in hand.

"...Ha. Can't even have supernatural psychological meltdowns in a normal way..." he chuckled wryly, the card in his hand vanishing as a gentle flare of blue light surrounded him. "Kinda... tired now though..."

I quickly approached him and put his arm around my shoulders. "I've got you."

He smiled at me. "Thanks, Aigis..."

"Nnngh..."

"Father?"

"He'll be fine, Mitsuru." assured Tenshi as she helped Takeharu up. "We'll have to get him to the hospital to see what the actual damage to his leg might be... only so much we can do with Persona abilities."

Junpei seemed uneasy. "...What about Ikutsuki?"

There was a pause in the conversation.

"...I'll come up with something." replied Takeharu, doing his best to not stand on his injured leg. "Provided Fuuma or Tenshi doesn't first."

"Regardless, we should get out of here." noted Roland. "We don't have long before the Dark Hour is over."

"Yeah..." agreed Shinjiro. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Junpei approached and slung Roy's other arm over his shoulder.

"C'mon dude, let's get you home." he said. "You look like you could use some sleep..."

Roy grumbled slightly. "And a snack but sleep is fine..."

"Alright. Let's go, Aigis. Got a long walk back to the dorm."

* * *

><p>The Dark Hour ended a short ways into the walk back to the dorm, with Tenshi, Roland, and Daichi taking Takeharu to the hospital. There was little conversation between us the entire time, and Junpei left me to take Roy to his room once we arrived at the dormitory. He seemed sluggish and drained as we entered his room, a heavy sigh escaping him.<p>

"...Hey, Aigis...?"

I looked at Roy as I helped him sit down on his bed. "Yes?"

"...Can you... stay with me tonight?"

I smiled. "Of course. Would you like me to give you some time to change clothes?"

"...Yeah, but you don't have to leave the room." he replied, shrugging off his jacket and tossing his hat over onto his desk. "Not like I have anything to hide from you."

"I never thought you had anything to hide, Roy." I said. "Nor do I think less of you for what you did have hidden."

He stared at the floor quietly for a moment. "...You really are a wonderful person, Aigis..."

"Ah... thank you, Roy..." I said, a small alert informing me that the temperature of my face had elevated several degrees.

"No, I mean it Aigis." he stated, looking up at me. "You're... you're a wonderful, amazing person..."

My temperature rose another degree. "...I think you're just as wonderful, Roy."

A small smile crept across his features before he pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I love you, Aigis..." he said, sounding like he was trying to fight back tears. "I love you so much..."

I returned the hug, resting my head on his shoulder. "I love you too, Roy..." I kissed him softly on the cheek. "I will always be here to watch over you..."

"Hah..." he chuckled softly, pulling away enough to look me in the eyes. "Does that make you my guardian angel, then?"

I smiled at him. "...I suppose it would."

Another soft chuckle escaped him before he kissed me. "Fine by me..."

* * *

><p>I spent the remainder of the night by his side, a smile on my face the entire time.<p>

* * *

><p>Entry End<br>Submitting to Log Moderator for Approval

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><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - So how 'bout them Shadow Roys? Shit like that's what happens when you're six and half an embodiment of Death violently stuffed into your brain; you get some Childhood trauma supernaturally repressed for ten years. But yeah, that all should be fixed now! And yes, Ken's 'TOO SUBTLE' thing was inspired by Oinkbane the Deadly(Google it! Funny stuff.) and is going to become a running gag because the kid deserves some awesome shenanigans to pull. And next chapter is where things get heavy for other reasons and more shit goes down. Wanna know why? Well, let's just say it's best if you don't fear the Reaper.

Anyway, I have a question for you reviewers; How many of you are still wondering about the Fool with Tsukuyomi that Roy encountered in chapter 24? Because I think it should be obvious who it is, given his parents Hayate and Sayaka appear in the same chapter. Why else would that particular Fool be in Iwatodai? Mwehehehe...


	27. Surprise, Surprise

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**rsdk525** - I'm certain nobody did! Maybe Shadow Roy, yes, but not how it played out! MY TACTICS ARE TOO SUBTLE FOR YOU!

**Delta XIII** - Roy has lots of issues still, I couldn't resist the Batman & Robin joke, Pharos is a crafty motherfucker, and Ken is honestly the best Party Member in P3: FES and P3P. Why? Toss the kid Gae Bolg and he can hit 4 elements - Pierce, Elec, Wind, and Light. Only person with that much elemental coverage that's playable in any of the Persona 3 games is either one of the protagonists, Aigis in the Answer, or Metis. So yeah, Ken gets to be stupid awesome.

**We Thought It'd Be Funny** - HAS YOUR MIND BEEN SUFFICIENTLY BLOWN, GOOD SIR? IF NOT I'M GONNA DO WORSE! MWAHAHAHA!

**Metro555** - Mitsuru's dad does indeed survive. He's just come down with a bad case of 'I got shot in the fucking leg' and might need a cane so he can walk.

**Jenni Saba** - You gave me more than two ideas and you know it you goof. *hugs*

Once more I must thank **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts**, along with my wonderful girlfriend **Jenni Saba** and other good friend **Scarf Drilbur** for helping me! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>It was kinda weird to wake up next to Aigis after what had happened last night. I'd honestly hoped it was a dream, but with as different as I felt, I knew it had to be real. I spent a few minutes with Aigis, asking her to look over the Journal I'd been keeping and add her own entry about yesterday to it if she had some time to spare. My time that day was divided between School, which was buzzing with reports of Ikutsuki having attempted to murder Mitsuru's dad, only to end up falling down a flight of stairs and broken his neck in a struggle with him, and my thoughts for an better explanation for everything my Shadow had said. I felt sick to my stomach, partly because of the fact the truth was my Shadow, my repressed self, is what killed him... and partly because I didn't feel any remorse for having done it. I talked to Junpei, Hamuko, and Mitsuru about it and surprisingly none of them took it as a bad sign. In Mitsuru's own words, Ikutsuki deserved no sympathy or remorse. Shinjiro offered some advice while on the way back to the dorm after school, and it helped a lot, especially since Aigis had to go with Tenshi at lunch to see about getting out any and all garbage Ikutsuki had pumped into her system.<p>

Mitsuru called a meeting once everyone who could attend was at the dorm, and I was nervous as I walked into the room with the majority of my Journal's contents, minus private details shared with me in confidence from others for obvious reasons, in printed out form in hand. It was quiet in the room for a minute or two after we all arrived, likely because nobody knew where to start with this. Fuuka eventually decided to bring up something to get the ball rolling.

"The Chairman's room has been cleared out..."

Akihiko scoffed. "I'm not surprised, considering everything he did."

"I can barely believe all this..." sighed Yukari. "He played us all for chumps..."

"Did you see the report in the papers, though?" Ken asked, holding one up. "It says 'Sudden Death of Gekkoukan High's Chairman'. Seems the cover story is he tried to take over the Kirijo Group at gunpoint."

"Not far from the truth for once." noted Shinjiro. "Had anything else happened, it'd probably have gotten covered up in a heartbeat."

Hamuko let out a surprisingly heavy sigh. "But where does all that leave us? We don't know how to get rid of the Dark Hour. The only clue we have is 'the Fall' that Ikutsuki was talking about, and it's not like he was very willing to share what it was beyond that talk of a 'prince'..."

"I might be able to help a bit." I said, tossing the Journal in my hand onto the new coffee table since y'know, I broke the last one. "But first, everything I know and haven't blurted out in detail is in there up to right before we left for Tartarus last night is in there. Exceedingly personal stuff omitted for obvious reasons, of course."

Mitsuru picked up the shoddy, stapled together Journal and opened it. "...It's dated all the way back to early April..." She looked at me. "How long have you been keeping records of the events that have transpired?"

"Since after the first operation in May." I admitted. "I started off by putting down the stuff that'd happened up to that point and caught up to what was then 'current' events around mid July."

She hummed, turning her attention back to the book. "...Who is the boy you described meeting you when you arrived at the dorm that night?"

"That would be Pharos." I replied. "I didn't find out his name until after I awoke Shade, at which point he basically followed me around seeing as because of magic or some shit I was the only one who could see and hear him."

Hamuko snapped her fingers suddenly. "He was the ghost buddy you were talking about a while back, wasn't he?"

I laughed. "Wow, you still remember that? But yeah, that was him. Nice kid, if a bit of a smart ass sometimes though."

"You have a g-ghost following you around?" asked Yukari.

I shook my head. "Not anymore."

"But you DID for a while, r-right?"

"Yeah, but he never did any spooky haunting stuff or anything so calm down." I sighed. "Anyways, he seemed to have amnesia tied to the Arcana Shadows; Every time we killed one, he remembered something. I think he might've been the spirit of a kid who was unlucky enough to be caught up in the Dark Hour and was killed by one or more of the Arcana Shadows way back when they first appeared because of that."

"Given the abilities of Shadows themselves, I can understand that train of logic." said Mitsuru, still skimming through the Journal. "And given how little he could do, not mentioning him to the rest of us is equally understandable."

I shrugged. "Well, the one big thing he could do was bring up the Arcana Shadows were coming a week in advance, but that I just attributed to him being tied to them via his missing memories. And by the time it would've been a good idea to bring that up, Akihiko and I had figured out that the Full Moon brings them out of hiding anyways so it didn't matter."

"During the Operation in June, right?" Akihiko asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"What's this about you having mentioned the Dark Hour to others?"

-Goddamn you read fast, Mitsuru.- "Oh, yeah, that was kind of a well known thing about me with my friends back in Seattle. Kinda hard to avoid talking about it when the Dark Hour hits in the middle of a conversation at eight in the morning and you wait it out by reading a book, then it ends and you're not back where you were standing a split second ago from their perspective. Everyone there just knew it as what I called it for a long time – a time paradox. Nobody else over there was Dark Hour sensitive as far as I knew until recently."

"Recently? Who's getting stuck in there now?"

"Well apparently my grandfather has." I replied. "Dunno for how long, but he knew some details about it because he got 'em from Shinjiro's grandfather."

"Still surprised you two are related." commented Shinjiro. "But I can see the resemblance."

"What about the other stuff?" asked Junpei. "Like the 'spooky voices' that Shadow of yours was talking about?"

I sighed a little. "Oh yeah, that. Apparently being a Wild Card means having a Social Life makes me stronger, complete with inescapable disembodied voices letting me know whenever I become better friends with people. I've heard from them since the night I joined SEES."

"The Fool, correct?"

A nod. "Yeah, they're tied to the major arcana. I can list every single one I've got if you guys wanna know."

"Is there a significance to them?"

I looked at Chidori and smirked. "But of course. Tarot Arcana are nifty like that."

"...'The illusions of the moon stir the just devil'..." said Ken. "You said that a while ago... is that connected to it?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Your persona arcana is Justice, while the bond is apparently counted as the Devil Arcana. Shinjiro, meanwhile, is counted as Moon by the spooky voices and yet his Persona is Heirophant. Other odd bonds like that are Chidori, who's Temperance to the voices but Hanged Man otherwise, Akihiko, Star to me despite Caesar being Emperor, and Aigis, counted as Aeon instead of Chariot."

"Aeon?"

"Alternate card for Judgement in a different Tarot Deck." I said. "Everyone else has lined up one to one for Arcana – Junpei as Magician, Fuuka as Priestess, Mitsuru with Empress, Strength for Koromaru, and Hamuko as Fortune. The only other outlier was the Fool, which the voices counted as 'Everyone in SEES' apparently. Probably because when we all started out, we were collectively a pack of idiots like how the Fool's Journey typically starts off. No offense."

"None taken, Akihiko is fairly dim..."

"Hey!"

Shinjiro chuckled. "Sounds like Mitsuru's got your number, Aki."

"Shut up..."

A thought suddenly struck me. "Wait... Damn it, I should've asked him about it before he left..."

"Asked how about what?"

"Pharos about the Fall." I replied, rubbing my forehead. "He brought it up once or twice before he left to go find his grandmother. Didn't know what it was, just that it made him uneasy. Probably part of why he left something to watch out for me..."

Yukari shivered. "That thing that came out of you last night...?"

I blinked. "...Pardon?"

"While you were unconscious, you suddenly summoned that Persona that appeared when the Reaper had almost gotten to Maiko-chan." replied Fuuka. "Your Shadow called it 'what the kid left behind' and then started to get scared."

"...Thanatos, right?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Huh... hafta thank him next time I see him, then." I admitted. "But, yeah, that's really all I got that can't be figured out from the Journal. I only know more about what has happened than what could happen next."

"We don't even know what would've happened if we HAD been sacrificed..." noted Ken. "Not that I wanna find out."

"Neither do I..." agreed Hamuko. "We've got enough to worry about as it is..."

Akihiko stood up. "Yeah. We may not know what to do, but we do know Tartarus is still around. I say we explore it more once things calm down and Aigis gets back. Better to prepare for whatever comes out way than sit around doing nothing."

"For once, I agree with the training nut." said Shinjiro. "That 'Fall' thing sounds like some kinda apocalypse, and if we're not on top of our game we'll be in deep shit if it happens."

"...What about Jin?"

Mitsuru slipped a bookmark into the Journal and flipped it shut. "I haven't heard anything about him yet, Yoshino. He's in police custody at the moment. It's out of my hands regardless, seeing as it's not as though we have any actual sway with the police."

"Wait, then what about Officer Kurosawa?" asked Junpei. "Isn't he still helping us?"

"He's not being paid by the Kirijo Group or anything of the sort." said Mitsuru. "He chose quite some time ago to help us, even though it puts him in a dangerous position."

"Like, he could get fired or some shit?"

Akihiko nodded. "Pretty much, Roy. He's been on thin ice for a while too, but with Takaya caught he should get off of it."

"Yeah, Roland took the stupid hippie straight to Kurosawa." reported Shinjiro. "Turns out the bastard's the one who was carrying out the hits from that Revenge Request website and Kurosawa's been working on and off on it for a few years. Handing over the guy who did the killings will probably smooth things over hell of a lot. Don't quote me on that, though; I don't know the foggiest about how it works with cops."

"Looks like we'll just have to wait and see what happens for now..." sighed Ken. "I'd rather not, but we don't have any other options..."

"Yeah... and senpai? Feel free to pass the Journal around once you're done with it. If need be I can make more copies."

"I will, Fortune."

* * *

><p>Fuuka had something to talk to Yukari about as everyone filed out of the meeting room. I didn't do much of anything besides stay in my room that night and went to bed kinda early. Of course, that's when things got interesting.<p>

-Well now this is something I haven't seen in a while...- I thought as I was whisked down the checkerboard path leading to a certain blue door. "Evening, Igor."

"Welcome, my young friend. It has been some time since we last spoke through your dreams, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it has..." I admitted. "Something happened?"

"Several things, as you are no doubt aware!" he replied with a chuckle. "But, have you noticed the change in yourself? Not in circumstances, but in mentality."

I sighed and nodded. "Yeah... kinda noticed that."

"That is one of the reasons I have summoned you here tonight. Going forward, there is one thing you mustn't forget."

Igor waved his hand over the table sharply, causing something to appear that I hadn't seen in a very long time.

-The contract from Pharos...-

"I see you recognize it. Shall I remind you of your commitment?"

"I chooseth this fate of mine own free will, right?"

Another chuckle escaped him. "Precisely. You have little reason to worry, for whichever path you choose, I shall respect your decision. However, only you will bear the responsibility for your actions... not matter what end they may bring about. Please remember that."

"Gonna be hard to forget at this point..." I admitted. "But, you said that was only one reason you called me here?"

"Indeed, there is another matter I wished to discuss." he answered. "Alas, it appears to be too late; you have already mended the damage to yourself after dealing with your Shadow... and it seems you have finally awakened to the remainder of your abilities as a Wild Card."

Eyebrow. "Okay, start with the Shadow thing. What do you mean 'mended the damage'? The crazy voice said I'd 'healed thine damaged soul', too."

"It appears that sometime in the past, some manner of trauma caused a portion of yourself to become splintered off and suppressed deep within your mind where you could never notice it was present. Fortunately, it was only a fairly small percentage; easily mended once you were made aware of it."

"...The kid shadow, right?"

Igor nodded. "Correct. Alas, I could not tell you what caused the damage, only that I am greatly relieved that you have resolved the issue. It was the true factor in limiting your awakening of your other abilities."

"Like how I just yanked Kohryu out of thin air?" I asked. "Because that one was... weird."

"Most other guests felt the same way when made aware of that ability." he said. "By tapping directly into the power of your bonds, it is possible to call forth nearly any Persona bound to that Arcana, and further still quickly combine them to release the more powerful expressions of other Arcana. In the case of your summoning of Kohryu, you fused four Personae of the Temperance Arcana to awaken it."

I blinked. "But... I thought only YOU could fuse Personas..."

He shook his head. "I said no such thing, my young friend. It merely stands that my process is more precise than the one Wild Cards such as yourself can employ; Blindly fusing in that manner can lead to any sorts of abilities being transferred via Persona Fusion, including ones that would be unhelpful or outright useless. It is best used in emergencies or if the Personas at your disposal currently are not sufficient."

"So then my actual limit for Personas on-hand is basically 'All of them'?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. However, relying on summoning directly from the Arcana is not wise. They will not possess as much power as those you have fused with my assistance. I should also inform you that Personas fused by yourself will not receive the full benefits of the power of your bonds."

"That... kinda makes since, seeing as how I'd be flash-fusing in the middle of a fight and it's hard to focus on the fusion as much when you just need something to potentially save your ass right now."

Igor nodded. "Precisely."

"Good to know, then." I said, smiling a little. "Thanks, Igor."

"You are most welcome." he replied. "But, before I bid you farewell, I have a small piece of advice to offer to you."

-Oh?- "Advice?"

"Yes. I've said it to others in the past, and I feel as thought it would be of use to you." stated Igor. "Be true to yourself, my young friend. You have but one life, and should not squander it with falsehoods."

I hummed thoughtfully. "...I'll keep that in mind."

"Please do." he said. "Well then, I bid you farewell."

* * *

><p>I woke up to my alarm, smacking it to shut it off while still wondering why I hadn't changed it from 'One Week' to something else after all these months. I climbed out of bed and staggered over to the sink, looking in the mirror.<p>

-...True to myself, huh?- I thought, my eyes drifting to the sarashi wrapped around my right arm.

I'd worn them for a long time out of a promise to a friend back in Seattle. Three big, like college-age jackasses were picking on her little sister and as fate had it, I came across this on my way to their house after school. I tried to get 'em to back off, but once one of 'em shoved her at the wall and another punched me in the face, I wailed on them so hard I damn near put all three of them into the hospital. If it hadn't been self defense because they struck first, I'd have probably gone to juvenile hall for kicking the shit out of them. Zoe made me swear to not do something like that again and tied the wrappings around my arm herself as a way to remind me of it.

-...It's funny.- I thought to myself. -I don't... really miss them all that much. Barely hear from them either, but part of that is probably timezones...-

I stared at the sarashi again. I just kept staring, then I yanked them off my arm and threw 'em in the trash can.

I'm not the broken person I once was. Those wounds have been healed, and if I'm gonna be true to myself then I shouldn't hold anything back.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day passed without incident, apart from Aigis being EXTREMELY apologetic to everyone at lunch, seeing as Tenshi had her dropped off at school. Nobody held it against her, what with the whole 'was hijacked by an evil jackass' thing that'd happened. And I might've been imagining things, but... she sounded and moved a hell of a lot less stiff. If I wasn't imagining it though, I take it as a good sign of her mental status. Of course, with my own change in mentality, Kaz was complaining about me mopping the floor with him durring MMA club when he wasn't surprised I didn't have my sarashi on anymore. Also, apparently the club members think my tattoo is pretty cool... though the coach insisted I cover it, unsurprisingly.<p>

Sunday saw Mitsuru and Asami talking with Chidori for most of the day, apparently setting her up to attend Gekkoukan with the rest of us. Junpei was beside himself with glee at the thought of Chidori in class with him. I got a call from Elizabeth fairly early on in the evening, saying that there wasn't a blockade in Tartarus now so we could go higher. I'd had her on speakerphone for that, and everyone was confused by the revelation, seeing as the last time we were at Tartarus, there wasn't a typical barricade keeping us from progressing and even Fuuka said she hadn't been able to sense any parts of the tower past that point. Thus, the lot of us with Chidori in tow and, to my surprise, Yukari with a new Persona, we headed for Tartarus once the Dark Hour hit. Of course, things got off to a fairly bad start the mere instant I walked in the door of the lobby.

Cuz y'know, it's not everyday the Reaper grabs you by the face and then hurls you up a flight of stairs into a doorway portal thing.

"What in the fucking hell...?" I groaned as I staggered to my feet in the first area of the Thebel block. "Rude much!"

The Reaper merely appeared at the other end of the hallway and pointed his guns at me. I scrambled down a hallway, loud slamming and explosions echoing through the halls behind me.

_{Roy-kun, are you okay?}_

-Apart from Ol' Reaps trying to kill me, yeah, fuckin' PEACHY!- I said, ducking down another path before the wall behind me exploded. -What about you guys?-

_{We can't get into the tower! The Teleporter isn't working and the door to Thebel closed after the Reaper went in after you!}_

-Then does that mean the smashing I'm hearing is Shinjiro trying to get through the door?-

_{Him and Junpei-kun.}_

-Oh good, so it's shit that's built to last.- I sighed mentally as I span around and slammed my hand down on my evoker, intending to unleash Anansi on the Reaper. Atropos came out instead, blasting him with a Garudyne. -Aaaaand there's something fucking wrong with my Evoker I think! Lovely.-

I kept dodging in and out of the side paths, thankful I wasn't hitting dead ends and that the other Shadows in the tower apparently decided to get the hell out of dodge with the Reaper on the prowl.

**'Stand and fight, Fool!' **the Reaper bellowed, suddenly appearing at the end of the hall way I'd just started to run down.

"Better idea!" I said, pulling the cards Gramps gave me out of my pocket. "Let's play a little game! Ever heard of Fifty-two pickup?"

Cue me scattering the metal cards into the air right before summoning Atropos on purpose to suck them up with wind magic and launch the resulting slicing cyclone at the Reaper. Hopefully he learned a lesson about playing Fifty-two pickup with a guy who has wind powers. I on the other hand, learned a lesson about throwing a tornado full of razor sharp metal cards at a hellish monster with giant fucking guns; Namely that it's stupid because the monster will start firing blindly and nearly blow your head off.

-Fuuka, do you know where the stairs are?- I asked, attempting to summon Anansi again only to get Kikuru-hime instead to blast the Reaper with a fireball. -And what the shit is going on? I can't summon Anansi!-

_{I can't sense any stairs on that floor, Roy-kun!}_ She reported as I kept dodging the Reaper as best I could, and healing myself when I couldn't._ {But I don't detect anything wrong with you either...}_

**'Were you not listening, Fool?' **asked the Reaper, his voice echoing all around me. **'I said Stand and FIGHT!'**

The walls infront of me exploded, stopping me in my tracks just before I got smashed in the stomach by something. I flew back and hit a wall, thankfully catching myself before I hit the ground. When I looked up, the Reaper was floating in a way that suggested he'd... just...

"...Did you just fucking kick me?" I asked. "How the fuck did you kick me? YOU DON'T HAVE LEGS!"

The Reaper's lone eye blinked, then he floated back into what you could call a 'standing' position and looked down at where he feet would've been if he did have legs for a moment. When he looked back up at me, he just shrugged. **'Skill, I suppose.'**

"...Right." I sighed. "Anyway!"

Despite a third attempt to summon him, Anansi did not appear. This time Cu Chulainn rushed forward, spearing the Reaper in the shoulder as I ran back the way I'd came. Naturally, the Reaper being what he is, he just got ahead of me again and this time pistol whipped me through a wall. I coughed as I shoved the rubble off of me, but panic set in once I noticed something off and looked through the hole.

**'Looking for this?' **asked the Reaper, holding up my Evoker.

"What the hell kind of Shadow bullshit did you pull to get that off of my arm?"

The Reaper chuckled, tucking the watch evoker into a pocket I didn't know he had. **'None, actually. I merely removed it as I struck you mere moments ago.'**

-Oh lovely, he's got his own slight of hand shenanigans...-

**'And if you refuse to fight properly, then you can be still and perish.'** He continued, leveling his revolvers at me again.

"NOPE!" I shouted as I once again set about dodging his attacks, pumping a Masukukaja into myself so I could actually move faster. It helped, seeing as he was still launching spells at me in bullet form.

-Okay, need a plan.- I thought. -I can't run forever... actually how HAVE I been running as long as I have? I barely feel winded! Fuck it, figure that out later...- I ducked around two quick corners and stopped for a moment. -Wait... I can blind fire fuse Personas... Not that it's very helpful without a goddamn Evoker... On the other hand, Channeling... Fuck it, let's give this shit a shot!- I paused. -...Wait shit I don't even know how I did it last time... oh well, WINGING IT!-

I tried my best to focus on something. As luck would have it, I manged to get that same feeling as last time by focusing on the Chariot Arcana.

-Oumitsunu... Nata Taishi... Koumokuten...- I thought, feeling a new Persona emerging inside my mind. -THOR!-

I shoved the first skill of his I could channel down my arm and swung my fist as the Reaper rounded the corner. I have absolutely no idea what it was, but from the resulting orange explosion that obliterated several walls in a large area around the both of us and the fact the Reaper was also launched a good ways back, I want to say it was a physical Persona attack of some sort. The Reaper laughed as he picked himself up off the ground.

**'So you DO have some bite in you...' **He chuckled. **'Good...'**

-That is a really fucking terrifying thing to hear from something that looks like him.- I thought as I smashed my hand against the ground, channeling that same skill again. Another blast further ravaged Thebel, leaving not much beyond the floor and a few walls still standing in a way that vaguely gave us an arena to fight in.

"You wanna scrap, then fine!" I barked in English. "WE'LL FUCKIN' SCRAP!"

**'GOOD!'**

-This is a terrible idea.- I thought, switching Personae and unleashing... something. I didn't get a good look, but it looked like I threw something at the Reaper before ice exploded against his torso. -...What did I switch to... Wait, Anansi? ABOUT FUCKING TIME!-

**'Interesting...'** mused the Reaper as he took aim. **'Show me the extent of your power, Fool!'**

I dove to one side as I felt a familiar spike of power like I had on the bridge.

-KOHRYU!-

I did a short flip before swinging my arms outwards, somehow unleashing a torrent of flames across the arena. It slammed into the Reaper at about lower chest level, getting a confused shout out of him before I switch personas again. Lightning arced from the palm of my hand courtesy of Thor and zapped the everloving shit out of him. Another switch and a quick dive under a couple of gunshots later and I blasted him with a tornado and followed with another chunk of ice.

-How dead is he, Fuuka?- I asked as I switched to Thor again to tank a bolt of lightning.

_{The Reaper is hardly damaged, Roy-kun! You're not hurting it enough without your evoker!}_

-God DAMN IT.- I mentally snarled as I used that wide area physical attack again. -This is gonna take fucking forever...-

The Reaper dodged this time, and then he rushed me. I threw a few more lightning bolts at him, but it didn't stop him from grabbing me and slamming me against a wall.

**'Ah, it has been some time since our last bout...' **he mused as I struggled. **'But, it seems my hopes for a true challenge were misplaced... A pity. You showed such promise, especially a short time ago...'**

-Shit!-

_{Roy-kun! Are you okay?}_

The Reaper pointed a gun at my head as I noticed something glowing appearing to my right. I think it might've been some kind of window, but I couldn't turn my head enough to get a good look.

**'But, I suppose Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey...'**

-Shit what do I do, what do I do...?- I thought, desperately trying to come up with a plan to get out of this. Something suddenly occurred to me, though. -...Wait, that night...-

**'Do you have any last words, be it to me or your associates, Fool?'**

_{ROY-KUN!}_

-...I am thou, thou art I...- "Yeah... I got some."

The Reaper pulled back the hammer on his revolver. **'Then speak now, before the end.'**

"Fuck the world..." I began, feeling a card appear in the palm of my right hand. "...I'M A SPIDER!"

I clenched my fist and there was an explosion of blue fire around me. The Reaper was blasted back by the Persona I'd summoned, getting me the chance to actually fucking breathe easier since he had me by the damn throat. I looked up as I coughed a few times, now discovering that Anansi was standing between me and the Reaper.

-...Huh.- I thought quietly. -Guess he just doesn't like Evokers anymore...-

**'...So, I was correct...'** commented the Reaper. **'You do bear his mark...'**

-Wait, does he mean Anansi?- "What's it to you?"

He grumbled. **'Nothing that concerns you-'**

And I had Anansi clock him in the face. "Talking is not a free action."

**'By Zeus, you even have his sense of humor...'**

"Zeus? The fuck does the god of fucking everything up, literally and figuratively, have to do with anything?"

**'Nothing!'** he snapped, only to get punched in the face again. **'STOP THAT!'**

"It's a fight, though."

The Reaper's eye twitched. **'...I'm going to maim-' **Another punch. **'DAMN IT, STOP-'**

After the next punch, he pointed his gun at me again. Anansi smacked his arm, causing the shot to miss, then slammed a fireball into his head to knock him away. It was weird, though... like that time against the Hermit, Anansi felt like an extension of myself and I could see what it was seeing.

-Must be a perk of having faced my Shadow.- I mused as we dodged a retaliatory gunshot. -Better ask Igor about that later.-

_{Roy-kun, what happened?}_

-SHENANIGANS!- I replied, grabbing the Reaper with Anansi's left hands. -I'll try to explain once I know how the hell it works!-

Charging his right arms with Magarula, the Spider God Persona punched the Reaper in the stomach hard enough for the Shadow to apparently cough up something like blood, except pitch black. Not even sure how it came out of whatever mouth it might've had, given the bag on its head. Anansi then threw him towards a wall and flung what seemed to be a few playing cards at him. Must've been some slick, unique skill of his since each one exploded with a different element.

**'Yes... MUCH BETTER!'** the Reaper bellowed before he fired once, causing a massive rune of darkness to appear on the ground. **'But can you withstand the darkness of the abyss?'**

The rune exploded with dark energies... and I felt exactly nothing. Like not even the 'it didn't hit me' kind of feeling when Mudo spells fail, just flat nothing.

"...Guess so, yeah." -Why am I so calm in the face of a stupidly murderous, fight-happy monster?-

The Reaper growled, then started shooting at me properly. I didn't manage to get out of the way of everything, but of the spells that did hit me, the fire ones didn't seem to do a damn thing. I guessed it was because of Anansi as I rushed in, re-summoning the Persona mid-step as I ducked under the Reaper's attempt to pistol whip me again, grabbed his arm, then flipped him over and got him to drop one of his guns. Not wanting him to get it back, Anansi snatched the damn thing up and then managed to heat up and bend the giant barrel of the gun and toss it further away.

**'Those are not easy to fix, you know.' **he growled as he floated upright once more.

"Why else would I break it?" I asked, getting Pixie to heal me.

**'...Fair point-'** -FIRE CARD THINGIE!- **'OW!'**

"You keep falling for that..."

**'I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!'**

Anansi flung a few more cards at him. "You're doing a shoddy job of it so far, dude."

The Reaper made a 'strangling the air' gesture with his free hand before he started shooting at me again.

-Hey Fuuka, do you think I might've pissed him off?-

_{...Shinjiro-senpai said 'No shit, Sherlock'.}_

-Duely noted!- I replied, ducking under a sweeping lightning beam from the Reaper before punching him in the gut. I got kicked away again for my troubles, though it didn't actually hurt that much. -Shit, what kind of resistances does Anansi have now...?-

_{You haven't checked?}_

-NOT REALLY, NO!- I admitted, now in a strange, pseudo fistfight with the Reaper that involved Anansi mirroring my movements from like right behind me. -I mean I don't think any of us expected to come walk in the door and watch someone get grabbed by the Reaper! I know I sure as hell didn't!-

_=Roy, that's really stupid of you.=_

-NO DUH... wait, Chidori how the hell are you talking to me?-

_=My power is like Fuuka-san's, remember?=_

I got clocked in the face by the Reaper, but grabbed his arm and smashed my elbow into it, hoping to break it or something. -RIGHT! I forget these things when I'm trying to not die!-

_=You're awfully calm about that.=_

-I noticed! I think I have more problems than I thought.-

_{Worry about them later and stay focused, Roy-kun!}_

-Yeah yeah, I got it!- I grumbled as I kicked the Reaper in the head and backed away from him as he staggered around. -Even though being this casual in a life threatening situation is probably a very bad sign of my sanity.-

_=When have you ever BEEN sane?=_

-NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR SASS, CHIDORI!-

I just heard Chidori and Fuuka giggling in my head as I kept brawling with the Reaper. He was trying to shoot me, but I was close enough to make it difficult, and with both me AND my Persona attacking at the same time he was rapidly getting both worn down and more annoyed.

**'ENOUGH!'** He bellowed, a blast of wind exploding around him, launching me away and causing Anansi to vanish. **'THIS IS THE END FOR-'**

"PERSONA!"

Anansi rushed forward, dashing under the Reaper's startled counter attack, then getting behind him and grappling him. Hard to escape from something with four arms, especially when two of them are grabbing your head.

**'UNHAND ME!'**

"Get angry and you make mistakes, Reaps." I said, noticing I was mirroring how Anansi was holding the Reaper's skull.

**'I WILL DESTROY YOU!' **he screamed. **'YOU WORLD WILL BECOME NAUGHT BUT PAIN!'**

"I already told you, pal! FUCK THE WORLD, I'M A SPIDER!"

It should not have been so satisfying to hear the Reaper's neck snap like a twig, but then again I think I just killed probably the most powerful Shadow we've ever seen... or at the least incapacitated him. I watched the body slump to the ground as Anansi dropped it before he vanished. It took a moment, but it dissolved like other shadows do.

"Alternatively, 'Fuck you, I'm Spider Man' works." I commented to nobody in particular. "But eh, what cha' gonna do?"

There was a loud disembodied sigh.

**'...I walked right into most of that.'** the Reaper's voice grumbled. **'I suppose that's what happens when years of confinement and boredom are compounded by someone taunting you...'**

I blinked, looking around quickly. "...You're not dead?"

**'Of course I'm not dead! You don't just casually walk up and kill something like me unless you're an excessively violent mute who shares a soul with a dragon or something else suitably stupid.'**

"...Right. So, um... do I get to leave now?"

There was another sigh. **'...Yes, you may go. T'was a glorious battle once you stopped running.'**

"Uh, you're welcome?" I said, watching one of those small, one-way teleporters appear. "Sheesh, you'd think I was fighting Ares or something..."

I heard the Reaper chuckle in a way that sounded like he was shaking his head as I stepped onto the portal, being met with a glomp from Aigis when I appeared in the lobby.

"Holy shit dude, how are you not dead?" asked Junpei as everyone huddled around me. "...And what happened to your evoker?"

**'Oh, right. I should return that...'**

And on cue it was unceremoniously dropped on my head. Didn't hurt much, but I still caught it.

"...What sort of creature have we been dealing with?" asked Mitsuru, sounding oh so utterly confused.

"I wish I knew, senpai..." I admitted. "I wish I knew..."

* * *

><p>Given that I got ambushed and came kinda scary close to dying more times than I cared to have written down in here, Mitsuru insisted we immediately leave Tartarus after Fuuka checked see if there was a path to get further up the tower. A quick chat with Igor revealed almost nothing actually helpful beyond the summoning without an evoker is a thing I can apparently just do now that I've dealt with my Shadow. I shared that detail with everyone on the way back home and got more than a few concerned looks. I don't think anyone wanted to have what happened with me happen to them, and honestly I can't blame them. Kinda sucked... although unlike me, they won't get searing pain from having Social Links being violently yanked out of them to power their Shadow. Having nearly two dozen voices screaming in your head all at once isn't fun.<p>

Anyways, Junpei was excited as hell come the morning because Chidori was coming to school with us. I must admit, she looked pretty cute in the uniform. Hopefully she's gonna be in our class, since I get the feeling being around Junpei in such a public setting would help get her used to things. They left before Aigis and I, but when the two of us arrived the school was buzzing for some reason. Wasn't hard to figure out why when a couple of girls started talking loudly as we reached the gate.

"Hey, you wanna hear the good news?" asked one of them. "I heard the boy who's transferring here today is a stud!"

Her friend seemed skeptical. "Are you for real, or just messing with me?"

"No way! I heard it from someone who saw him filling out the forms."

"Which class is he in?"

"2-F."

-Wait what?-

"Oh... well, that's disappointing. Guess I'll have to wait to check him out!"

"Aigis, does that seem odd to you?" I asked her. "There's gonna be a new guy the same day Chidori's going to start attending class with us?"

She hummed. "Slightly, but coincidences can happen..."

"True..." I admitted. "Guess we'll just have to meet him for ourselves..."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later, and Toriumi was standing at the front of the class with Chidori and the new guy. I narrowed my eyes slightly when I first saw him because his Arcana is Fortune, mainly because now I am required by my own insanity to determine how cool of a person he is. I like that scarf he's got, though.<p>

"Alright everyone, today we have two more transfer students surprisingly." announced Toriumi. "Because apparently some people really like to just abandon this classroom, but some new, friendly faces might change that. Please introduce yourselves."

Chidori looked at the new guy, and he just motioned for her to go first. At least he seems polite.

"H-hello..." she began, taking a small step forward. "I-I'm Chidori Yoshino... It's nice to meet you..."

"Oh dear, she seems a little shy... Ah, why don't you sit over there?" Ms. Toriumi gestured towards the vacant seat next to Junpei. "I just hope Junpei will behave himself..."

He scoffed lightly. "I assure you sensei, I am a perfect gentleman."

-Don't laugh at your best friend don't laugh at your best friend don't laugh at your best friend...-

Surprisingly, Toriumi found it funny. "If you say so, but you'll be in trouble if you don't walk the talk."

"I don't think he'll cause trouble, sensei." said Chidori as she walked over and sat down next to him, a small, knowing smile on her face.

The teacher rolled her eyes, then looked at the new guy. "Now it's your turn for introductions."

"My name is Ryoji Mochizuki." he said, smiling slightly. He sounds like that guy I nearly stepped on a few months ago. "I would be grateful if you could show me the ropes."

It did not take more than half a second after he finished talking for every girl in class not in SEES to start muttering about the new guy and the fact he was good looking.

"...Nice to meet you."

-...Wait, is he looking at me? Why would he be looking at me?-

"Ryoji lived overseas for a long time due to his parents' work, so he might not be used to all of our customs... And put your hand down, Roy. You don't count as an example of that not being a potential issue."

I pouted slightly as I lowered my arm. -Darn, I wanted to make a funny.-

"Now you need a seat... Ah, right there up front on the left."

Ryoji started towards his seat, but stopped when he looked at Aigis.

"Good morning." he greeted, smiling pleasantly. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name..."

-You are either brave, stupid, or–-

"...You are dangerous."

I arched an eyebrow and looked at Aigis.

"Dangerous?" he chuckled. "I haven't even asked you out on a date yet..."

"Her boyfriend is sitting right next to her, you know..." commented Hamuko.

Ryoji's face paled and he looked at me. I just stared at him with an unamused expression, my eyebrow still raised.

"M-my apologies!" He said quickly. "I-it was an honest mistake, it won't-"

"Sit down and we will pretend this never happened." I said calmly.

He nodded. "G-good idea! Th-thanks!"

-And now I've terrified the poor guy. I feel like a jackass...-

* * *

><p>Aigis kept glaring holes into Ryoji's head for the entire day, only stopping when Hamuko dragged her off after school for some reason. I was getting packed up and then found a couple of people suddenly looming over my desk.<p>

"Yes?" I asked, looking up.

"Hey, you gotten to talk to the new guy yet?" asked Junpei, Ryoji standing right next to him.

"No, I spent lunch break with Aigis..." I said. "And no, I'm not going to strangle you for earlier. Not like you're psychic or anything."

Ryoji let out a sigh. "Oh good, and here I was worried I'd pissed off an Oni or something... I nearly had a heart attack when you stood up earlier."

-...Do I really look like an Oni?- "Well rest easy, dude." I said, holding out my hand. "Name's Roy Fortune. Nice ta meet ya'."

He smirked and shook my hand. "Likewise. I'm sure you heard my name earlier..." He made an odd face as he let go of my hand. "...That's... odd."

Eyebrow. "What is? My screaming red hair that can be seen from Pluto?"

"No, it's..." Ryoji frowned. "I have the strangest feeling I've spoken to you before..."

"Dude, are you tripping balls or something?" asked Junpei.

"...Y'know, I get the same feeling." I admitted. "Did you live in Seattle?"

To my surprise, he nodded. "Well near Seattle, but yeah. I went to Lake Sammamish High."

"Shit I went to the same place!" I commented. "Must've passed each other in the halls a few times or somethin'."

"Must have..." he agreed. "Quite the extreme coincidence for us both to have ended up here!"

I nodded. "Yeah. But, I guess that's just the way the cards were dealt."

"Ha, I guess so! Here's hoping we can get along."

I smirked. "I'd say we're off to a good start."

**CRASH**

-WHOA what?-

_I am thou... thou art I..._

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Tower Arcana..._

I blinked, a little bewildered. -Tower? With Ryoji? ...Well, I guess moving to Japan could count as a sudden upheaval... or what happened to me maybe? Can Wild Cards even Social Link themselves? Shit, whatever is going on with this... is going to be an adventure, I'm sure.-

"You are a threat!"

And cue a Surprise Aigis™ appearing from the ether and looking angrily at Ryoji.

"Ryoji-san, please stay away from Roy!" she said, sounding angrier than I was expecting.

Ryoji seemed as confused as I was. "...I was just talking to him... I doubt I could hurt him if I tried..."

"You are dangerous!"

I frowned. "Aigis, be nice. Dude just got here and I accidentally scared the hell out of him. I don't think he's gonna cause trouble."

She hesitated for a moment before sighing. "...If you say so..."

* * *

><p>"So, Aigis... where exactly did all the come from back there?" I asked a little while later as Aigis and I walked back to the dorm. "Kind of sudden to declare a dude you've just met dangerous."<p>

Aigis frowned slightly, but she seemed more confused than upset. "...I don't know. The moment I saw Ryoji-san, I just... felt it."

Eyebrow. "Well to be fair, his first two actions that I saw were A. hitting on you and B. nearly needing a change of shorts when he saw me, so in a way you're correct, he IS dangerous... it's just that he's dangerous to himself more than anyone else."

"...It is also unlikely he possesses a Persona like we do." She noted. "Were he to attempt any sort of harm, it is likely you would subdue him before serious damage could occur."

I smiled. "See? Guy's harmless, at least for now. Time will tell with how well he adjusts to being at Gekkoukan."

* * *

><p>About two days later, I changed my tune.<p>

"Hey, Aigis?"

"Yes?"

"I have to revise my assessment of how dangerous Ryoji is somewhat."

"...What has happened?"

"He's proven himself a danger to not only himself, but to the female student population of Gekkoukan High not in SEES."

"...Should I dispose of him?"

"AIGIS, NO!"

* * *

><p>I had to spend at least half an hour telling Aigis she couldn't seriously try to cram Ryoji in a box and mail him to Ireland or something if he caused trouble, and I'm honestly not sure if she was just being funny or being serious about the whole thing. After class the next day though, there were shenanigans afoot. Most of them bad, if only for a certain black haired guy with a bright yellow scarf.<p>

"Roy-san!"

I turned around and suddenly found a panicked Ryoji grabbing me by the shoulders.

"You have to help me!" he said, sounding out of breathe. "I've made a terrible mistake!"

-Oh this I have to hear.- "What did you do this time?"

"I'll tell you, but you have to hide me!" replied Ryoji, looking at me in wide eyed fear. "I didn't know fangirls could have rabies!"

"...What."

"Eeeee! Look, there he is!"

Now let it never be said I am one to be afraid of a bunch of hormone addled teenage girls. That does not apply, however, when the 'bunch' is 'three quarters of the second year girls bearing down on you like they're lions about to pounce on a fucking wounded zebra'. Moral of this story: Fangirls are scary, and not even the local giant red head is enough to distract them from their target. This, naturally, lead to me all but literally grabbing Ryoji by the shoulder and booking it before they caught up to us. Thankfully they didn't seem to count on me ducking into the Cooking Club's room to hide their beloved 'Ryoji-kun' from them, and thus the horde stampeded down the hall past us as we hid behind the counter...

"...Um... Roy-kun?"

...Right next to Fuuka.

"Hi Fuuka." I said, adjusting my hat. "Mind if Ryoji and I hide out here for a bit?"

She seemed confused. "...Why do you need to hide?"

"I have a horde after... me..." he said, trailing off as he looked up at Fuuka. "...That is a very nice apron you're wearing, and may I ask what you're cooking?"

Fuuka blushed at the surprise compliment, quickly looking back at the mixing bowl she was stirring something in. "I-I couldn't decide between baking a cake or making chocolate truffles, so I'm trying to combine the two..."

-...That sounds fucking delicious.- "How's that been going?"

She smiled. "Well, for an experiment it hasn't gone bad so far... Shinjiro-senpai and Hamuko-chan went to the library to look up a recipe online in case my attempt doesn't work out..."

-Shinjiro willingly left Fuuka alone in a kitchen?- I thought as Ryoji and I finally stood up. -Holy shit I never thought I'd see the day...-

"Really?" asked Ryoji. "Well, then I'd like to have the first sample when you're done... I-I mean, if that's alright with you..."

"Oh, of course!" she said, seeming a little confused. "But um... who are you?"

He wasted no time in trying to look as suave as possible. "Ryoji Mochizuki, at your service, Miss...?"

"Fuuka Yamagishi..."

"Fuuka-chan... a cute name to go with a cute face."

She turned away from him and... -Wait, Is she blushing again? Goddamn Ryoji, control your swag! This is probably why there's a horde after you!-

Fuuka scurried off to another part of the club room to find a pan to put the cake mix in, while Ryoji nudged me in the arm.

"Not what I was expecting to happen when I asked for your help, Roy-san." he said. "But hey, escape from a horde of crazies and get some sweets out of the deal? That's a win in my book."

I grinned. "Just reign yourself in, Casanova. Your suave charms are probably what got you into this mess."

Ryoji sighed over dramatically. "I know... curse my gentlemanly ways and good looks..."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Tower Arcana..._

-...I don't even know what to think about you anymore, spooky voices.- "The fact that, unlike a certain upperclassman on the boxing team, you actually talk to them instead of staring silently like they're a brick wall doesn't do you any favors either."

Fuuka giggled as she poured the cake batter into the pan. "Akihiko-senpai isn't that bad..."

"Fuuka, he told me that the girls who follow him are just annoying and give him headaches." I noted. "And most of 'em were pretty cute. I think it's safe to say he's dense."

"Roy-kun, be nice."

"IT DOESN'T CHANGE FACTS!"

* * *

><p>After sampling Fuuka's cooking, which had improved ASTOUNDINGLY since last time I had some, and all but literally smuggling Ryoji out of Gekkoukan, I got back to the dorm to a few very serious faces in the lounge.<p>

"Something wrong, senpai?" I asked, looking at Mitsuru warily.

"...We're going to have a visitor." She said, sounding more than a little tense. "Roland is bringing him over as we speak."

Eyebrow. "Who's he bringing?"

"Jin Shirato."

I just stared at her. "...Excuse me?"

"I had the same reaction." she said. "Apparently he wished to speak with us about something important in person."

I looked around at everyone who was currently here. Akihiko was doing an impression of Shinjiro being a grump over off near the back door to the dorm, Yukari was angrily reading a fashion magazine, and Ken was distracting himself with... -Is that a Model Kit of the Giant Robot the Featherman Rangers pilot?-

"Any hints as to what?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "No, only that he was insistent on it."

"Who all knows so far?"

"Everyone here, Aragaki, Arisato, Aigis, Iori, and my mother." she replied. "I requested Iori tell Yoshino. It might be hard for her to see Jin again..."

I hummed. "Yeah... but it might get us some more insight into things. I mean it's pretty obvious Takaya was effectively using both Jin and Chidori because fuck the world he's an entitled little bastard, so who knows how he's been taking it all."

"Agreed... I just hope things can remain civil."

"Between me and Junpei, I don't think that'll be a problem..."

* * *

><p>As the rest of SEES steadily turned up, the dorm was mostly quiet outside of the sounds of what everyone was doing while we waited for Roland to arrive. Koromaru was the loudest by virtue of chewing on that squeaky toy, and I'm amazed it still works considering how often he's gnawing on it. It took about another twenty minutes after Fuuka got back for us to hear the loud knock at the door that signaled Roland had arrived. Shinjiro was naturally the one to open the door for him.<p>

"Hey." he greeted, but he recoiled slightly. "...Kurosawa?"

"Hey yourself, kid." replied the officer as he stepped into the dorm with Roland and Jin, the latter in handcuffs. "Wanted to have a few words with you before we take this guy to the Hospital."

Jin just grunted, his eyes darting around as he inspected the dorm.

"...Very well." said Mitsuru. "Please, follow me. We have a meeting room on the top floor."

Kurosawa raised an eyebrow as he went up stairs with the rest of us. He let out an impressed whistle when we got into the Command Room. "Certainly didn't spare much expense, did you?"

"Would be pretty counter-productive to their efforts to cheap out on things."

The officer gave Jin a look as everyone picked a spot to sit down. Junpei, Shinji, Aigis, and I were standing behind the sofa, though.

"Indeed." agreed Mitsuru. "But, I understand you wished to speak with us?"

Jin gave her a vacant, annoyed look before he turned his head towards Chidori. "...You doing okay?"

"...Yes." answered the red head. "What about you?"

"Yeah... better now that Hypnos isn't messing with things."

"Hypnos?"

"Takaya's little coercion tool." replied the ex-Strega member. "Between that and the suppressants, it was probably a miracle if I ever had thought that was genuinely my own."

Eyebrow. "Wait, what? So he could..." I paused and looked at Kurosawa. Judgement Arcana, surprisingly... but no Persona. Can't really get into that sort of thing then... -Shit that makes this all a lot more complicated.- "...Shit, I didn't think the guy could cook up shit like that."

"What're 'suppressants'?" asked Kurosawa. "That what those pills we found on this guy and the other one were?"

Mitsuru nodded. "They were an old, experimental medication my father's company was working on some time ago. We discovered the late Shuji Ikutsuki was selling them to Takaya Sakaki, who was a part of the test group. It seems he'd become addicted."

"What kind of effects do they have?"

"They were intended to help with neurological issues, such as repressed memories or split personality disorders. Unfortunately, they didn't quite work out as planned; instead they slowly caused a potentially fatal variant of Apathy Syndrome in those who took them for extended periods. Needless to say, father discontinued them once this was discovered."

Kurosawa hummed. "The lab techs mentioned they were potent, but not what they could do. Pretty scary stuff to accidentally cook up... but what's 'Hypnos'?"

"Something unique to Takaya. It was a narcotic he knew how to make, but I couldn't tell you what was in it." said Jin, having apparently figured out what we were up to since we weren't yammering about Personas. "Crazy shit. If he got it into you while you had suppressants in your system, you'd swear the dude was psychic and pulling strings in your head. It's how he got me to work for him."

"Wait, seriously?" asked Junpei. "So then he'd been using that stuff on you and Chidori?"

"After a fashion, yeah." said Jin. "He'd had us tripping balls for a long time so we'd do what he wanted."

I hummed. "What did he have you do?"

"I ran that revenge request website for him. Chidori knew the city better than basically anyone and could find shortcuts to any part so Takaya could carry out the hits himself. He called it him 'cleansing the world, one fool at a time'."

Roland scowled. "Sick fuck."

"Well unless he's magic or some shit, he won't be seeing the light of day except through the window of a prison cell." said Kurosawa. "There's so many counts of murder we can definitively pin on him it's utterly stupid."

"How stupid we talking?" asked Hamuko.

"At least two hundred, all tied back to that gun you turned into the police a few months ago."

The room went silent as I'm fairly certain everyone was staring at Kurosawa.

"...That's..."

"A lot of people, yeah." sighed the police officer. "And then there's the matter of that gun he had when this guy brought him in..." He looked over at Roland for a moment. "It was reported stolen by a detective a few days after that other revolver was turned in."

"How did he manage to steal it from a cop?"

Kurosawa shrugged. "Beats me. The officer in question was Tohru Adachi, and he's a pretty diligent detective, if a bit spacey at times. Heads have been rolling because of it."

-Damn, I feel kinda bad for the guy. Takaya must've snatched it in the Dark Hour...- "Harsh, but understandable. I don't think he expected his gun to end up in the hands of a serial killer."

"Nobody did. If he hadn't reported it weeks before Sakaki was brought in, he'd have been out of a job completely."

-Oh, double ouch...-

"What's going to happen to Jin, though?" asked Chidori, sounding very concerned.

"He's been cooperating with the police more than most of our higher ups expected." said Kurosawa. "Doubt he's gonna see much, if any, jail time on account of him being drugged for so long. There's enough evidence to prove that he was an unwilling accomplice for everything that happened, and brought up you were a victim as well."

Chidori shrank in her seat slightly. "...I was."

"Then that just adds to the case we have against Sakaki." continued the Officer. "Like I said, he won't be seeing much besides a cell for a very long time."

"If he even lives that long..." commented Roland. "Those pills were shortening his lifespan if I heard things right."

"He'll probably be lucky if he lives past forty." said Jin, sounding notably bitter. "Serves the bastard right for what he did if you ask me."

A sudden thought struck me. "So what happens to you once all is said and done? Besides the whole 'not going to jail' thing, I mean."

"...Don't know." he admitted. "Not sure what I really can do anymore."

"You ran a website while heavily drugged for a long time." Fuuka pointed out. "You could likely get job in a similar field."

Jin laughed lightly. "Who knows? Gotta get past this whole mess with Takaya first..."

"Speaking of which, we have to be going now." said Kurosawa, looking at his watch. "Still need to get you to the hospital."

"Somethin' happen?" asked Junpei.

"He's got a few medical conditions, so we need to get him medications so he's coherent enough to testify against Sakaki." replied the officer. "Better get a move on."

Jin sighed. "Yeah, I know."

He stood up and followed Kurosawa to the door, stopping for a second to look back at Chidori.

"...Take care of yourself, okay?" he asked.

"I will, Jin."

He smiled sadly before he went out the door with Kurosawa, leaving us in silence for a little bit.

"...So Takaya could mind control people?" I asked, finally breaking the lull in the conversation. "Would got a long way to explain how he got Jin so loyal to him."

"I don't even wanna know how he figured out he could do that." said Roland. "Shit's messed up."

"Will they be able to keep him in jail, though? He does still have his Persona, and it looked like he didn't need an Evoker..."

Shinjiro crossed his arms. "Ken's got a point, he could still bust out."

"Mother had a solution for that." said Mitsuru with a small smirk. "She'd spent the time since Yoshino first revealed that Strega had been taking the suppressants to modify the formula for them in the event they were needed again. It's actually part of the reason Jin is being taken to the hospital."

"What'd she do?" asked Akihiko.

"She found that one of the ingredients used was the root cause of the side effects, as was discovered in a follow-up observation to the original experiments but never acted upon." she replied. "Removing it and using a different compound appears to have solved the issue for maintaining control over a Persona."

Chidori sat up straighter in her seat. "So Jin won't have to worry about Moros turning on him?"

"Correct. Mother also believes the pills will prevent Takaya from summoning without an evoker like he had as well."

"Here's hoping she's right." Yukari commented. "We sure don't need him coming back to cause more problems..."

Nobody disagreed with her on that, especially not Chidori.

* * *

><p>Aigis pulled me aside while everyone was chatting amongst themselves and heading down to the lounge, leading me into her room and locking the door once we were in.<p>

"Something up, Aigis?" I asked as she sighed and stepped away from her door.

"...No, I just..." she paused. "...Wanted to be alone with you for some time."

I felt my face heat up a little. "A-ah... okay."

"...What do you think of my room?" she asked, looking at me. "I'd been wondering what your opinion of it was since the last time you were here..."

I looked around the room again.

"It's nice. The bed was a surprise, though. Why didn't they just set up the fancy chair in the middle of the room and take the bed out?"

"The Kirijo Group workers who installed my maintenance equipment had intended to do so, until it was pointed out that there was ample room if one of the alternate configurations was utilized." stated Aigis. "It was meant for a technician in the event of serious complications in my systems so they might rest if it took a long time to solve the issue."

"...Huh, that's actually a pretty smart idea." I commented. "Gotta let the poor lab tech nap if it takes like three or four days to fix ya up."

She nodded. "The workers assumed the same... though I wish I had more pleasant decorations. It's almost hard to believe I considered it normal..."

I chuckled a little and gave her a hug. "Well, your definition of normal is just about as odd as mine is, so it's not that surprising."

"I suppose so..." she admitted, pulling away from me a moment later. "...But, looking at it now... I've realized something. Something only I can say to you, because of the kind of person I am, with this body of metal..."

"Oh? What's that?"

Aigis looked me in the eyes, a bright smile on her face. "I... will never leave you. No matter how or when your life comes to an end... at that moment, I will be be by your side." Her expression turned a little sad as she kept talking. "And you... will remain in my heart..."

Her eyes started to trail down but they seemed to stop once their gaze reached my torso.

"...What is that?"

"What's what?"

"The necklace you're wearing... what is that hanging from it?"

I looked down at the bolt necklace. "Oh, this? It's a bolt. The... day after my parents died, I woke up in a hospital with it in my hand. It left a faint burn mark because I'd apparently had such a death grip on it that the doctors couldn't get it away from me." I lifted my head. "I guess it's from the accident, but the doctors let me keep it and when I was about... I think seven or eight, I got it mounted on a chain and have worn it ever since."

"...That's... one of my components..."

I blinked. "...What?"

"That bolt is the same type as what is used for the casing of my main system..." she said, staring at it in disbelief. "...It was specially made for that purpose... it should not have been near where... you..." She clutched her head. "Nnngh! W-why does it...? These errors...!"

I glanced down at my necklace again. "This... came from you? But..."

"I-I can't... there was..." She was shaking her head now. "I can't... I can't remember...!"

I ran a hand through my hair. I'd been wearing a piece of Aigis around my neck for about nine years. -How the bloody hell did I get it...?- "Do you remember anything about why you were in storage? Like, any mission parameters for it? Not details, just what the last thing you did before being put there?"

Aigis was silent for a minute, then slowly nodded. "Yes... I was deployed to the Moonlight Bridge, but further details are corrupted."

"What was the date?"

"...December third, nineteen ninety-nine."

I felt my chest tighten. "That was... the day of the accident..."

She suddenly looked up at me. "It was?"

"I could never forget it even if I wanted to." I replied. "So... you were there that night...? But, why don't..." I clutched my head. "Nnngh! Damn it, why does it hurt to think about...?"

"...Then... my mission coincided with your family's demise..." she murmured. "I could not have been deployed for any reason other than a Shadow, which means..."

"...A Shadow caused the accident..."

Aigis nodded. "...It would seem so."

"...Back then, was the protection of humans put above the destruction of Shadows?"

"Shadow Elimination and Human Protection were on the same level, though in the event of possible non-combatants, I was to ensure their safety while combating any Shadows present."

-...Then, maybe...- "...So it's possible that you might've gotten hurt because I was there and the Shadow came after me?"

"...Yes. That would be correct assumption – My programing would have required me to protect you at the time."

I stared at Aigis quietly for a moment, then sat down on her bed with a half-hearted laugh.

"Then... I guess your system still recognized me." I said. "At Yakushima... you probably saw my face on the bridge when I was a kid, and when you saw it there, the protection directive kicked back in..."

She said nothing, simply sitting down beside me.

"...It would explain my initial reactions. To think that... we'd met before..."

Another laugh escaped me. "...My Shadow... the kid one... it mentioned an 'angel lady'. I think it was talking about you."

"Me...? But I'm..."

I shook my head and put an arm around Aigis. "I wouldn't have been able to tell back then. You'd just have been a pretty girl..." I kissed her forehead lightly. "...You really are my guardian angel..."

I felt her arms wrap around me gently.

"So it would seem..." she said. "...I've changed so much since that day." Aigis lifted her head to look at me again. "I've found a different reason to protect you... one I never want to let go of. No matter what happens, I... I won't give up. I'll get back on my feet as many times as it takes. I will fight by your side and protect you, Roy..."

I smiled at her. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Aigis."

"...Thank you." She sighed, sounding content before she got up. "Ah... I just remembered..."

She walked across the room, rifling through a cabinet next to her makeshift closet for a few moments before turning back towards me.

"I... wanted to give you this." said Aigis, approaching me and offering me something. I held out my hand and she dropped the object in my hand – it was a locket. "Hamuko-san helped me with it a few days ago. I meant to give it to you at the celebration, but..."

"...Stuff happened." I said, inspecting the locket. It popped open, and inside it was a picture of me and Aigis. It'd been taken by Hamuko at lunch one day, and now I know why. "Heh, this is nice..." I looked back up at her and smiled before I put the locket on. "Thanks, Aigis."

She smiled back at me. "You're welcome Roy..." She seated herself on my lap and hugged me again. "I wanted you to have something of me to keep with you... though now I suppose you have two. Hamuko-san once said that she believes living is spending time with people you've forged relationships with... and I want my relationship with you to be the strongest of all. The most precious thing for me is to be at your side..."

**CRASH**

-Go away!-

_I am thou... thou art I..._

-Wait a second, what?-

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Aeon Arcana has been set free..._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Pendragon, the Ultimate form of the Aeon Arcana..._

-...Isn't that the last name of King Arthur?-

"...Roy...?"

Aigis' voice suddenly pulled me from my thoughts. "Yeah?"

"Did you... hear a strange voice?"

I blinked. "Wait, you heard them? They just got through saying I've reached the limit of the strength of our bond or whatever. It's never made a lot of sense..."

"It said that I could now 'unleash my dormant strength'... and it feels as though something about my Persona has changed..."

-Uh oh...- "Is everything alright?"

"No issues, but... there is something different."

I hummed. "Well, if we get the chance before the class trip we'll have to stop by Tartarus to see what's up. I hope nothing's wrong..."

"As do I..." she agreed, then she suddenly fidgeted in my lap. "Roy, um... I... actually have a request for you..."

Eyebrow. "What is it?"

"...At the base of my neck, behind the knot of the ribbon... my most important component is located there." she said. "The source of the artificial psyche that makes me who I am. My emotional engine; the 'Papillon Heart'."

"...Okay, I'm following you so far..."

"It's extremely delicate, so I am forbidden to expose it outside of the laboratory's clean room." Aigis continued, looking away from me nervously. "I... want you to touch it."

I stared at her. "...What."

"I-If exposed to your skin oils and cells, your genetic information will most likely be burnt into it... even so, I want you to do this." she turned her gaze back to me. "I want to leave indelible proof in this body of the bond you and I share. Not as a memory that can be erased, but as some thing permanent. Something irrevocable."

-...I'm suddenly glad Pharos isn't here because WOW this just got rather awkward.- "A-alright... but are you certain this won't like... cause damage to you?"

She nodded, slowly sliding off my lap and onto the bed. "Provided you do not do anything rash such as forcefully strike it, the likelihood of permanent damage is too minimal to be of concern."

"...Well, you'd know better than I would so... alright." -I feel so very awkward right now.-

Aigis smiled and kissed me before laying down on the bed. When she did, though, every single part of my brain was crying out 'oh god what' at maximum awkward shrieking volume.

"Thank you, Roy..." she said, gazing lovingly at me as she started to blush. "Oh, um... s-since you'll be coming into direct contact with my heart, I... I apologize in advance if I say something odd, or make unusual noises..."

-OH GOD WHAT-

"As a precaution, I will be cutting off motor functions to my arms and legs for the time being..." she continued, sounding embarrassed now. "I don't want to accidentally hurt you..."

_-OH GOD WHAT-_

"Well then, umm... Roy, will you... untie my ribbon?"

What happened next is never, ever being committed to text document or paper ever and is nobodies business but mine and Aigis' and if you think otherwise _YOU ARE WRONG AND WILL BE PUNCHED_.

* * *

><p>After ah... spending a long time with Aigis, I let her sleep and managed to get back to my room without waking anyone else up. The following day was honestly mostly hilarious while school was still going. Ryoji was now making a sport out of dodging his fangirls to the point Akihiko thought he was doing some new kind of training, bless his meatheaded little heart. We got to talking at one point after he used me to distract the horde and point them in the wrong direction, and I think at this point it's probably safe to say the two of us are pals. Him, me and Junpei are like the three idiot amigos of Gekkoukan High at this point. Y'know, when two of us aren't being affectionate morons with our girlfriends and one isn't hiding from a horde of women who all want to jump his bones. That aside, I think most of us weren't expecting many surprises until after the school trip in a few days; Mitsuru wanted to head back to Tartarus with gusto after it. Only reason we weren't going yet is one part due to her having to help coordinate the School Trip and one part due to her parents wanting to have a word with the lot of us in SEES before we went back there. Of course, when I say 'weren't expecting many surprises' that naturally means some unexpected shit happened. As often happens when we're at the dorm, it started with a loud knock on the door.<p>

"Who is it this time?" asked Shinjiro from the kitchen table. "Too loud to be Roland..."

Junpei was looking out the window with Yukari. "...Some really big guy dressed like a bartender or something? Like what Akihiko-san usually wears, but scaled up for someone with arms as big around as his head..."

"He looks a little nervous, too..." noted the pink-clad archer.

"Probably not here to cause trouble then." said Hamuko, casually walking over to the door. "I'll see what he wants."

"Arisato-"

The pinkette had the door open before Mitsuru could finish her sentence, and all at ounce a hearty laugh filled the air.

"And here I was worried nobody was home..."

"Can I-"

"DAD?"

I barely had the time to turn towards the kitchen before there was a loud thud, then Ken was suddenly flying past me, through the air I might add, and all but tackled the new guy at the door.

"Oof! Haha, certainly still hit like your old man..."

I blinked, then looked back at where Ken had came from. Shinjiro was rubbing his face and muttering swears under his breath. -...Did Ken use him as a springboard?-

"I can't believe you're here!" Ken sobbed, drawing my attention back to the kid currently latched onto the visitor's torso. "Grandma and grandpa... they said you were..."

"Hey... calm down." said Ken's dad. "It's alright, Ken..."

"How?"

He sighed. "I didn't manage to get home in time that night... by the time I got there, it was too late."

"...You're his father?"

Mr. Amada looked at Mitsuru and nodded. "Yeah. Been fighting a custody battle for my son with his mother's parents."

"Huh?" Ken looked up. "But... they said..."

"Your grandparents hate my guts, Ken. The night your mom died, they'd phoned in a fake domestic abuse claim. I didn't even get the chance to see you before the police took you to the station because of what happened. Naturally, your grandparents blamed me for your mother's death."

"So... when they said you died..."

Mr. Amada nodded. "They lied. Never liked me, even though Chika certainly did."

"...Okay, just what the crap is going on?" I asked. "The only thing I'm following is the guy who resembles a shaved bear is Ken's dad..."

The big guy let out another chuckle. "Sorry kid. Lemme just get inside and I'll see if I can't go over things, seeing as how you all were nice enough to look after my son..."

* * *

><p>Approximately thirty minutes and more than a few confused statements of 'what' later about how completely psychotic Ken's maternal grandparents are, we were up to speed on why this dude was here and that he really was Ken's dad, Takeshi Amada. Short version, they claimed he died after Ken's mom did because of grief or something when in reality they'd been doing everything possible to keep him away from Ken. He finally won the custody battle yesterday and wanted to finally see his son after two years. In a related story, I think Mitsuru wants to stab someone.<p>

"...So, because of your profession and lack of social standing, his grandparents made it their life's mission to ruin your life?" asked Mitsuru. "What insane breed of logic are they using?"

Takeshi shrugged in his seat. I swear this guy is big enough that he could pin a tiger with each of his giant hands. "Couldn't tell ya, Kirijo. Nor do I ever wanna find out. I'm just..." He paused, rubbing one of his eyes. "I'm just glad I can see my son again."

I couldn't stop myself from opening my mouth. "I'm still trying to figure out how a giant is related to Ken. You're the size of a mountain! In fact, I'm fairly certain when people say someone can't hit the broad side of a mountain, you're the mountain they're talking about!"

"Haha! I'd wager it's because my boy's like his old man; can't drink regular milk." said Takeshi with a hearty laugh. "Didn't that get mentioned on his file when he got into Gekkoukan?"

"Beats me, but he didn't know it." I said. "I figured out what was up when he was lamenting being short and mentioned milk makes him sick, and that was a little over a month or so ago. Lucky for him I knew a guy with the same issue."

Takeshi laughed again. -Certainly a cheerful fellow.- "Ah, good on ya then kid."

"I have a question, Amada-san!" said Hamuko, holding up her hand. "Are you going to take Ken-kun home with you?"

"I'd like to, but you all said this is a special club dorm for the gifted students, didn't ya?" he asked. "If this is 'fer the smart ones, I don't see why my boy can't stick around here."

-Oh thank you ever so plausible cover story. Whoever thought that up was a genius unless it was Ikutsuki.- "Well, the rest of us minus Koromaru are gonna be gone for a few days because of a trip for the high schoolers."

Takeshi's right eyebrow arched in interest. "Really? Well, I don't have a problem with dogs, so if you need someone to watch the pooch I'm your man."

"How about it, Koromaru?" asked Ken, looking down at the dog from his seat on his dad's lap. "Wanna hang out with me and dad for a few days while everyone's in Kyoto?"

Koromaru barked happily and wagged his tail.

"Haha! I'll take that as a yes."

I glanced over at Shinjiro for a second, and right away I could tell he was nervous about Ken's dad being here. Given what happened... can't blame him.

"By the way, where do you work?" asked Yukari. "You're dressed pretty sharp..."

"I'm the owner of Club Escapade, little miss."

The silence in the room was almost deafening.

"...I don't even know what to think of anything anymore." said Junpei.

"Me either, dude..." I agreed. "Me either."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes -<strong> I NEED TO STOP COMING UP WITH FAMILY MEMBERS FOR SEES CHARACTERS *internal screaming*

Short and sweet this time around for author notes, all you people need to really know is I had WAY TOO MUCH FUN with both the Reaper Fight and the Max Aeon event. Waaaaay too damn much fun. Also Roy needs to stop sassing potential eldritch horrors while he's punching them in the face.


	28. Kyoto Shenanigans Reshuffled

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Delta XIII** - Actually, the Drakengard reference was aimed directly at The Dark Id's Let's Play of the games(Drakengard 2 especially), mainly because they're amazing. It was just the strangest thing the Reaper could think of at the time. But yes, cookie for you for actually spotting the reference! And yes, Roy is going to say that a lot more. It's too funny to me. Also, more family for the characters is a thing because half the cast being orphans is just really stupid and lazy in my opinion. As for punching you, though... *puts on metal boxing glove and grins evilly* Hold still.

**We Thought It'd Be Funny** - Spider Man memes are actually something Roy finds amusing... not sure if they were as internet famous in 2009 as they are nowadays, though. If not, he would totally find them funny.

**gerson** - The hot spring event, at least how it happens in canon, is a horrible, overused anime cliche that needs to die horribly. That said, there are still SOME shenanigans involving the springs this chapter. Just read for yourself to find out.

**Evilshroom** - Sorry, no Fate series cameo jokes. I don't know a lot about the series myself anyways, so you'll just have to wait until Roy finally summons Pendragon to find out what's up with that Persona.

**rsdk525** - You better be sharing that damn popcorn, it's 1:18 am as I'm posting this chapter and I'm hungry.

**Vivi239** - I changed the Social Link Max Personae that Roy gets for every member of SEES. Partly because I wanted to give Roy something a bit different from P3 canon, but also because some of them are just a lot cooler and technically speaking, Roy won't be getting Orpheus Telos since y'know, he doesn't HAVE Orpheus.

**Overlord Duelist** - Okay, but only because you asked me to. *punches you with the metal boxing glove*

**Metro555** - No. Oh god no please tell me you're not serious about that comparison to the Fairly English Story. I'm trying to avoid that sort of crap as much as possible because I really, REALLY don't like the Fairly English Story. Vincent won't be appearing, and the Raidou Kuzunoha games are actually canon to the Reshuffled Timeline! I won't say the full details of how, but I will share this at least: The Reshuffled Timeline's version of SMT: Nocturne had both Raidou AND Dante Sparda chasing Hito-Shura around the Vortex World. The Devil May Cry series isn't canon to the timeline though, apart from simply being video games in-universe.

**anb1388** - Apart from Roy, none of the other characters who've appeared as relatives to various other characters are OCs! They're all at least partly based on existing characters from other series outside of the SMT/Persona franchise, excluding the characters who are unabashedly AU versions OF characters from SMT games naturally, that I enjoy, the two most obvious being Shinjiro's older brother Katsuro(based on Owain from Fire Emblem Awakening) and Roy's grandfather Rowen(Based on the character of the same name from Tales of Xillia). The rest are based on Xillia, Awakening, or Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance characters. Cookies to anyone who manages to figure out who all the AU Cameos are and what they're from!

**Jenni Saba** - Chidori is always a mistress of sass. And your ideas aren't bad! You have some really good ones a lot of the time. *hugs*

I continue to thank **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts**, **Scarf Drilbur**, and **Jenni Saba** for being awesome people who help me with the story! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"You seriously brought up Shirakawa Boulevard to Yuka-tan?"<p>

"How was I supposed to know she'd all but crush my foot?" Ryoji whined, semi hobbling alongside me and Junpei.

"Dude, do you even know what's ON Shirakawa Boulevard?" I asked. "You just moved here like a week ago!"

He shrugged. "It's a ritzy part of town? I mean, that's what that one guy told me..."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "My friend, you have been deceived."

"Huh?"

"Shirakawa Boulevard is the Red Light District. Y'know, where all the kinky stores and love hotels are."

"OH GOD WHAT?"

"He's serious, man." added Junpei. "Yuka-tan hates that part of town."

Ryoji hung his head. "So that first year lied to me..."

"Probably because you've got almost every girl at Gekkoukan wanting to jump your bones."

"I can't help it! I'm too polite for my own good!" he sobbed. "Why must I be so charming?"

Junpei and I just patted him on the shoulder.

"Such is the burden of swag, my friend." said Junpei. "Such is the burden of swag."

"Yeah... it's honestly starting to get to be more trouble than it's worth..." hummed Ryoji. "...By the way, you guys live at the same dorm as Fuuka-san, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Do you know if she's dating anyone?"

"No, but if you wanna take a stab at it, just know that me, Junpei, and Shinjiro-san will personally kick your ass if you break her heart." I said, a pleasant smile on my face and murderous intent in my eyes. "M'kay~?"

Ryoji scoffed. "Roy, honestly. You should know better than to assume I would stoop so low."

"I know, but I'm seriously." -Glare mode activate!- "Fuuka's a really nice person who's had enough troubles as it is. She comes back from a date in tears and you're a dead man."

"What he said." added Junpei. "It's just not as literal as you'd think."

"A-Ah... good to know..."

-...I need to stop scaring this poor guy so much.- "Word of advice, though? She likes realistic sci-fi movies and mechanical stuff."

"Didn't she get you to go with her to that one movie over summer break because everyone else was busy?"

"Why else would I bring it up?"

Ryoji hummed and... -Where did he get that note pad?- "I see... thank you, Roy."

I laughed. "You're welcome, dude. Just don't try too hard that ya hurt yourself."

"Ha! I will."

**CRASH**

-You're one of the only links that still bugs me and the times you appear confound me, Tower Arcana.-

* * *

><p>After some shenanigans at the arcade up to an including Aigis appearing from nowhere and utterly schooling Ryoji at Dance Dance Revolution, the rest of the evening was bog standard boredom apart from Mitsuru getting frustrated with something. Not sure what, but from Akihiko's confusion the next morning I want to say it was his fault. Of course, because of the School trip starting the next day, Mitsuru enlisted everyone from Student Council to shore up the last of the minor details after school. Took a few hours, but we pulled it off and I ended up walking to the monorail station with her.<p>

"You'd think people wouldn't be quite as picky about the complimentary yukata that the hotels offer..." I said, still confused as to why I spent approximately thirty minutes arguing with Chihiro about that very subject. "Is it one of those cultural things I've managed to miss out on or something?"

Mitsuru didn't answer, her eyes still facing straight ahead. She looked like she was caught up in her thoughts.

"Senpai? Hey, you paying attention?"

That startled her out of her trance. "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry... what were you saying?"

"Okay, what's up?" I asked. "This is the seventh time today you've spaced out like that. What's eating you?"

She sighed. "...Ikutsuki's betrayal. I can't stop thinking about it... about what I could've done to stop it."

"How'd he even get his job is what I'd like to know." I commented. "I mean, the Kirijo Group is nothing if not very thorough with a lot of details. What let his psychotic, nihilistic insanity slip the net?"

"It seems he was quite good at covering his tracks." she said, sighing again. "It's the only explanation for how his history as head of the Strega Project following an 'accident' that claimed the life of the initial project leader managed to remain hidden until mother began digging more intensely. She did, however, discover that Sakaki, Shirato, and Yoshino were the only survivors of the project... and that Yoshino had apparently 'volunteered' despite evidence to suggest she and Sakaki had been kidnapped and taken unwillingly to the project."

"Let me guess, the evidence was ignore because that came up right around the time the former project lead died, huh?"

Mitsuru nodded. "Yes. It seems there was no limit to the misdeeds he would commit to achieve his goal..."

"How's the reveal of everything he'd done gone over?"

"Several workers he had ties to quit their jobs and have managed to vanish completely." she said. "It's possible they were accomplices, though a few others have been quite forthcoming with information. It seems he manipulated more than just SEES."

I sighed. "So there's potentially loony former Kirijo Scientists on the loose. Lovely. It's like he's taunting us from beyond the grave or some shit."

"Indeed..." agreed Mitsuru. "...Though, I wish I could do more to help my father... it seems the board is very unhappy about what happened and is looking to pin the blame on him."

"Oh like hell that's gonna stick." I scoffed. "Besides, your dad writes their paychecks. They really wanna risk getting on his bad side?"

"They're sadly not very easily intimidated. It's a wonder father has managed to not have had the company wrestled away from him by them yet..."

I sighed. "Why is every board of directors a pack of self-absorbed greedy idiots? It's not like we're living in an anime..." -Hell, I don't even think there's an anime that can match how crazy my life is these days.-

"I couldn't tell you, but my mother certainly knows how to deal with them." she said. "They tried to set up an arranged marriage for me, but when mother found out, her wrath was nigh legendary. She's one of the only things that frightens them because of it... though I suspect her anger was due more to who the groom to be was rather than the actual arrangement."

"Let me guess, sleazebag moron from another company?"

Mitsuru shuddered. "To put it mildly... yes. It was intended to solidify a partnership between his father's company and our own, though despite the adamant refusal by my mother he still hasn't quite gotten it through his head I have no reason to speak to him outside of official business, if ever at all."

"That's honestly surprising." I commented. "I mean, I've been fairly certain you and Akihiko... well..."

Her face turned a vivid pink and she looked away from me. "Th-that's another matter... I can't help that he's very slow to notice any potential advances I attempt..."

-OH HO!- "So then you HAVE been trying to get his attention?"

"...Yes..." she admitted sheepishly. "It's true he's not exactly the most socially intelligent person, but... he has an honest heart and the drive to carry on with whatever task he sets his mind to, no matter how long it takes... I envy that in him."

"Yet at the same time you worry that if presented with, say, a bear he'd try to wrestle it."

"He's attempted that before. It's gotten him barred from a zoo, actually..."

I laughed. "Oh god, really?"

"For life, in fact."

"Wow... better not let him travel the world then. Who knows what kind of hijinks he'd get up to without someone watching him..."

Mitsuru giggled faintly. "If I have a say in the matter, there won't be any need to worry... it's just a matter of getting his attention."

"Make him reach down your shirt to get at one of his bottles of protein supplements you dropped in there?"

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at me like I'd grown two extra heads.

"Well it'd probably work!" I said, trying to defend my logic. "Just try to make it look like it was on accident..."

"...I think the most terrifying part of your statement is that you're right; it would probably work..."

"Yeah... not sure why my brain jumped to that, though..."

Mitsuru smiled nervously and looked away again. "I'll be honest, I had considered it myself once before... I'm quite proud of my figure."

"You're also pretty damn tall for a girl, so you've certainly got a manner of..." I paused. "Amazon charm... would certainly explain Penthesilea, too."

She laughed. "I wouldn't go quite that far..."

"Eh, I'm just rambling. Stuff like that happens a lot."

"I'll have to make a note of that."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Empress Arcana..._

"Damn it spooky voices, why do you pick the weirdest times to turn up?"

"You heard them again?"

I sighed. "Yeah... apparently we're better friends now. I still don't get the criteria for getting them to pester me."

"I doubt you ever will, sadly."

"Yeah, me too..."

* * *

><p>I got to spend the better part of the evening packing for the Trip and also helping Aigis pack while simultaneously talking with Mitsuru about how Aigis has avoided getting discovered in Gym class these past two months because I'm honestly curious. Seems she just changes in a room separate from the other girls due to some 'medical' condition. I was kinda stunned with how simple it was, honestly. I spent the rest of the evening with Aigis looking up stuff on Kyoto so we could potentially stop by somewhere nice by ourselves. Also passing some of said info along to Junpei and Hamuko because of reasons that may or may not be magical on a level you'd expect from a Disney movie. Ken's dad stopped by around dinner time to pick up Ken and Koromaru, and thus once the lot of us left the next morning, the dorm was locked up like a goddamn fortress or some shit and left empty.<p>

I honestly half expected metal shutters to cover the windows. Says a lot about me, I think. Of course, then there's the matter of the train ride to Kyoto. It was going to take several hours, thus we needed something to pass the time. Ryoji, fortunately, had an idea.

"Anyone wanna play poker?"

If I had the ability to do so, my head would've plowed through the seat rather than looking over the top almost as abruptly. "Who said poker?"

"I said poker." he noted with a smirk, waving a pack of cards around. "Anyone else want to play?"

Hamuko's head popped over the top of the seat opposite side mine was on.

"I do~!" she said excitedly.

"I'm in." added Junpei.

Kenji and Kaz, materializing from the ether, slammed their hands down on the table. "ME TOO!"

Ryoji chuckled. "Well, this game will be interesting. We'd best move over to the larger table..."

I just grinned evilly. -Their puny minds are not prepared for this.-

* * *

><p>Roughly an hour later, and it was down to me, Hamuko, and Ryoji in a competition for 'who could clean house in the most ridiculous ways possible'. Seriously, normally you don't see three people drop things better than like, two pair very often if you're playing five-card draw. All three of us had, at some point, gone full Movie Gambler Stereotype and dropped a Royal Flush out of nowhere. Even poker can't be normal for me anymore.<p>

Hamuko and I ended up splitting the pot, but it was a close call. Lucky for us Ryoji was one card off making it a tie between all three of us like what'd been happening for the past ten minutes. After collecting the winnings and helping pack up, I watched her bound back to her seat by Fuuka - the two girls were playing Pokemon on a shared DS, I swear - and I began heading up to the seats when I noticed that Akihiko seemed to be asking Shinjiro something, and wasn't being dumb about it for once... or at least he didn't seem to be since I started to hear him while he was halfway through a sentence.

"...I mean, with everything that's happened..." he glanced at me. "Oh, hey Roy."

"Hey yourself, Akihiko. What's up with you two?"

Shinjiro gestured towards his best friend vaguely, not looking up from the cooking magazine he was reading. "He's playing worry wart about my health."

"Well to be fair, you took brain killing pills for a year solid." I noted, sitting down next to him. "That's pretty good cause for worry, healing factor or not... but why bring it up now?"

"I was asking Aigis about all known side effects earlier." said Akihiko. "Turns out one of 'em is that a person can't regulate their body temperature very well..."

I blinked. "...That would explain the giant coat in the middle of summer."

"Mmhm." Shinjiro hummed, still not looking up. "Only way to actually keep warm."

"And yet you don't wear it around Gekkoukan."

"Mitsuru wouldn't let me." he sighed. "Had to get creative with stashing hand warmers in my uniform a few times."

"A few times? Wait, so you've been getting better?"

Shinjiro finally looked up. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? As Roy so aptly put it a few times, I get like comic book passive healing from Vaisravana. Part of why I don't get so easily winded when we're in Tartarus."

I smacked one of my hands on the table. "That would explain why I was outrunning the Reaper for so long!"

"What, you have it too?"

"Yeah, Anansi has something like it I think." I replied, only now remembering to actually see what the hell the Persona in question could do. -Fire spell... wind spell... physical attacks... dodging hax... minor healing spell... Element Card? The fuck is... Oh that's nifty. And what is... Ah, okay so I DO have a healing factor with him now. Cool.- "Yeah, he does. Also a few weird things I've never heard of before from a Persona."

"I've noticed you get those a lot." commented Akihiko. "How do you handle all that power?"

I shrugged. "Um, I kinda don't? It's like it just shuts itself off when I don't need it, but it's there when I do. Hell, if I wanted to I could go through an entire conversation with someone and switch to one of the twelve Personas I have every time I start talking. Not sure what it'd do, but I could."

"That even do anything?" asked Shinjiro. "Besides switching around what abilities you can use?"

"Kinda? It's a little easier for me to talk to people if I have a Persona of the same Arcana at the front of my head. But... I haven't switched my Persona since that whole thing with the Reaper."

"Why not?"

I shrugged. "Haven't felt like it, really."

"Heh, sounds like a headache anyways..."

I shook my head. "No... not really. It doesn't feel all that different when I switch them, I can just... understand things better. Like you're changing your point of view a little... it's kinda hard to describe, really."

Shinjiro hummed. "So if I'm following this, having an Empress Persona in your head would make it easier to talk to Mitsuru?"

"In layman's terms, yeah."

"And you said you haven't switched your focused one in a while? Which one have you been using then?"

"Anansi."

Another hum. "Call me crazy... but I think you're not switching because you're more comfortable with yourself."

Eyebrow. "Eh?"

"Same thing happened with me a while back. After you pestered me in that alley, actually. Castor just... stopped struggling." he said. "Even with the pills I could feel him trying to resist, but after I thought about what you said... he stopped. I never had any idea why until I talked to Asami about it."

"Sounds like a small scale, less nightmarishly painful version of what happened with me..."

Akihiko looked at me nervously. "...Painful?"

"Last thing I remember before waking up to Shadow me being laid out on the ground was searing pain as I'm pretty sure my Shadow yanked out my Social Links to power himself up."

That got a shudder out of him. "That... yeah, that does sound like it'd hurt a lot."

"Understatement of the year, Aki." commented Shinjiro, then he suddenly shivered. "Damn it, I'm still not used to not having my coat all the time..."

"Your Himeji roots probably don't help."

"I got over that fine, Aki..."

The boxer stared at him. "Shinji, you wore sweaters in summer."

"PFFFT, he did WHAT?"

"Like you're one to talk, Mr. Always Wears A Sweater Vest."

-Shots fired.- I thought before I remembered something I'd learned at Gekkoukan. "Wait, you're from Himeji? The old castle town Himeji? Is THAT why your granddad could probably carve up a guy like you carve a turkey?"

"He once carved a turkey with a katana on a bet, but yeah it's part of why." replied Shinjiro. "It means Katsu and I aren't as used to it being so cold. We're also used to it being a lot wetter as well... got a lotta rain down there. Granted, I was younger than him when we moved here, so I've adjusted somewhat better; he still wears hoodies in July."

I kinda gave him a look. "...I've worn hoodies in July."

"Heavy ones. Like you planned on trudging through ankle deep snow."

"Wow. And here I thought your family couldn't get more eccentric..."

He scoffed, reopening his magazine. "I've thought the same thing, really."

"Heh, I could be a part of it."

Shinjiro looked up at Akihiko. "If you weren't an idiot you'd know you already are."

"Yeah, I was gonna say..."

The boxer just stared at us both. "...What?"

"You never noticed?" asked Shinjiro. "Really? What'd you think Asami and Roland worrying about the kind of shit you get yourself into was about?"

"I thought... y'know, they were being nice..."

Shinjiro set his magazine down again. "Aki, they saw how we interact. If we didn't have different last names, we could pretty easily pass for siblings. You've been a part of my family for about as long as I've known you."

Now, the 'deer in the headlights' expression is nothing new to me, but that description doesn't do the look Akihiko had on his face justice. I'm pretty sure if there wasn't a table between them and they weren't in public, he'd be hugging Shinjiro right now.

"Hell, my parents let us share a room back in the day." he continued. "Even they could tell!"

"...I... I didn't think..."

"I know you didn't, Aki. You've been like that since the fire." said Shinjiro. "Just hyper focused on getting stronger to the point where you don't see what's going on around you. That there's people who care about you and want to help."

"...Hah... guess I am kind of an idiot, huh...?"

"Even if you are, you're family, Aki. Don't forget that, okay?"

"Yeah... I won't."

"Of course you also have to share that title with SEES, considering the fact Shinjiro basically plays the part of mom for the lot of us." I commented as I took out my PSP.

Shinjiro gave me a look. "I do what now?"

"You dote on everybody like a mother hen, dude." I replied. -Maverick Hunter X time!- "Don't even deny it."

"If Shinji's the mom, who's the dad then?"

"Mitsuru." I said without missing a beat. "Alternatively, Shinjiro and Mitsuru bounce between being team mom or team dad depending on the situation."

Akihiko laughed. "Well, I have seen them argue like an old married couple..."

"I've also seen her pay special attention to you when you do something stupid." grumbled Shinjiro. "And you always go to her when I'm not around..."

"W-well, she doesn't yell at me as much as you do most of the time..." countered Akihiko, blushing a little. "So why not go talk to her?"

I leaned a little closer to Shinjiro and started whispering. "He's got the hots for her but his meathead can't figure it out."

"I know." he whispered back, trying to suppress a smirk. "I think I might lock 'em in a closet eventually."

"Sounds a little extreme."

"Yeah, but sadly it also would probably work."

"True."

"What're you guys whispering about?"

I shrugged. "Cunning plans and the like."

"With you two, that's... never a good thing."

**CRASH**

"GAH"

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Star and Moon-_

"Quiet down spooky voices, I'm trying to be magical!"

"...The hell are you talking about?"

"No idea!"

* * *

><p>A few more hours of train ride and a short tour bus trip later, and everyone started filing out into the inn. I gotta admit, Kyoto looks like a nice place. Very... I suppose 'traditional' would be a good way to describe the city. The inn we were set up at especially, like holy crap I gotta wonder how old this place is.<p>

"That trip took forever, but geez this place is fancy!" commented Junpei.

"Well, it IS an expensive area." noted Yukari. "I'm kinda surprised the school managed to pay for this..."

Meanwhile, it seems Ryoji and I were on the exact same wavelength because we both looked at the giant umbrella in the lobby and, in perfect deadpan unison, spoke up about it.

"Why the hell is there an umbrella here?"

The two of us got weird looks from more people than I expected.

"What?" we asked, still in full synchronization. "It's an honest question!"

"It's a decoration you guys..." giggled Hamuko.

Yukari nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty normal in Kyoto."

Ryoji and I looked at each other, then back at the girls.

"Kyoto is weird." we said, our mind sync still going full force. "Really weird."

"Are you guys going to stop doing that?"

"Doing what?" we asked, then we looked at each other again.

I narrowed my eyes. Ryoji did the same.

"Bacon." we said at the same time. "Canada. Ninja Pirate Robot Zombie Tokusentai from Space Australia!"

"Roy."

I turned away. "Yes, Aigis?"

She pointed out a window to some kind of courtyard with a pond in it.

"The stone area outside has a pool of water in it... is that an 'open-air hot spring'?" she asked. "I've never seen one in person before..."

"Nah, just the courtyard..." I looked at Hamuko. "Does this place even HAVE a hot spring?"

She looked at Yukari. "Does it?"

"I think so..."

"Come on, you all can talk later!" called out Ms. Toriumi. "You're blocking the hallway! Girls, your rooms are that way. Why don't you go get unpacked?"

"Oh yeah, right. I spaced out..." said Hamuko. "We'll see you guys later then!"

"Don't be too mean to Ryoji-kun." Fuuka added, walking off with Yukari and Hamuko.

Chidori waved lightly at Junpei before she turned her head. "Come on Aigis, let's go see our room."

Junpei sighed as the two of them walked off. "This trip is going to be so awesome."

"Because Chidori?"

"Hell yeah... dude, you okay Ryoji?"

Ryoji jumped slightly, his face a light shade of pink. "Huh? What?"

"What had you spaced out?" I asked. "Checking out Yukari?"

"Oh, no! She turned me down enough that I'd just be bothering her at this point." he replied. "I was just... surprised Fuuka-chan was concerned about me."

I exchanged a glance with Junpei as the three of us headed up to our room.

"Where did that come from, anyways?" asked Junpei. "Fuuka's usually the quiet type..."

"Oh, ah... I managed to get her to go on a date with me yesterday." He said sheepishly. "Well, if running into her at the music store at Paulownia Mall and then going to Changall Cafe together counts as a 'date' anyways..."

I whistled. "Wow, hit it off that well with her? That's... honestly surprising."

Ryoji shrugged. "I guess my charms are just that good?"

"Guess so. Shame you can't control that swag, huh?"

"Shut up, Junpei... At least the horde is distracted by the trip."

I patted him on the shoulder. "Lucky break, man. Lucky break."

* * *

><p>Surprisingly, Ryoji just flopped onto his futon and passed straight out. He sure as hell didn't seem that tired today, but it gave me and Junpei a good chance to chat for a bit.<p>

"I knew you were good with cards and stuff Roy, but the shit you and Hamu-tan pulled on the train was crazy!" he exclaimed. "How'd you get that good at bluffing?"

I laughed. "I caught my uncle and grandfather playing cards one day when I was like... oh, I think seven? It started the chain reaction of things that led to me liking fedoras, suits, being a tarot nut, and having an expert level poker face... oh, and having learned how to throw knives properly at age twelve."

"Don't tell Shinjiro-san. He might not let you near the steak knives anymore."

"Ha! Those aren't too good for throwing according to Gramps."

Junpei shrugged. "Hey, you never know man."

"True..." I admitted. "Why bring it up all of a sudden?"

"Well... I was thinking about what happened to you the other day." Junpei replied. "It's hard to forget hearing all of your best friend's secrets and fears get blurted out by their evil twin."

I sighed. "I try to not think about that night anymore..."

"I don't blame you, man." He said. "But... well, some of that stuff hit home for me, too."

I looked at him. "Huh?"

"You know the kind of guy I am. Always gotta crack a joke, laugh it off, or be an idiot. Figure'd it'd keep me outta trouble. Main reason why you never really see me be serious, even when everyone else is; I don't really like it, so I goof off..." said Junpei. "Just keep thinking that I could breeze through things like that, just tryin' to be fun instead of making an effort to understand anybody. But after getting to hang out with you, and then seeing what happened? I couldn't stop thinkin'. You always seemed like you had things under control, no problem at all. But it was just an act because of how scared you were. If someone like you didn't have it all together... what good is tryin' to act all cool and fun gonna do me?"

"You don't seem to have a problem being uncool around Chidori."

He laughed. "That's different, man. Same with you and Ai-chan. I'm talkin' about how I act around everyone else. Trying to act cool around people won't tell 'em anything about you unless they really take the time to look, and well... you were the first person to really do that to me, even if I couldn't see past your poker face."

"Hey, it never hurts to have someone to keep peoples spirit's up." I said. "And you're the man for the job because seriously, you're GOOD at it."

"...Really?"

I grinned. "Hell yeah. C'mon, you think I'm gonna lie to you about that?"

"Nah, I'm just... surprised." he admitted with a chuckle. "I've never really tried my hardest at nearly anything. Don't take it seriously..."

"And one of the few times you did, what happened?" I asked. "You wound up saving a pretty girl who means a lot to you from a psychopath."

He grinned at me. "Heh, yeah. Kinda makes bein' serious sometimes not seem like a bad thing."

"Ya got that right." I said, elbowing him a little.

"...By the way, there's somethin' else I wanted to talk about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... I kinda wanted you to have this." said Junpei, pulling a simple keychain out of his pocket and handing it to me... -Wait a second.-

"...A Pokemon keychain?"

He elbowed me. "Hey, Ariados is an awesome spider."

"I'm not debating that, but why'd you wanna give me a Pokemon keychain?"

"Well... I bought that right before I moved into the dorm." he answered. "My old one fell apart, and I needed something to put my housekeys on. But when I got told I was gonna get to live at the dorm, I was stoked. I never really wanted to go home, so... I thought I could just turn my back on all that. I stashed that and my housekeys away, since I figured I wouldn't need 'em again... but after a while, I didn't like how I was just trying to avoid it. Not like ignoring it would make it go away, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"So... I dug my keys out and found that, still basically new." Junpei continued. "I plan on going to see my dad, too... even if I am kinda scared to. But, I figure if you could face yourself like that, I could face my dad no problem."

"You won't be alone, either." I said. "You'd have Chidori with you, too."

He laughed. "Yeah, true... and you'll have my back too, right?"

I smiled again, holding out a hand. "Always will, Junpei. Thick as thieves, right?"

He smiled as well as he gave me a high five. "Damn right."

**CRASH**

-Whoop de do, Magician...-

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"Wait, what?"

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Magician Arcana has been set free..._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create King Arthur, the Ultimate form of the Magician Arcana..._

"...So according to the spooky voices, our friendship has reached the point I can throw the guy who swung around Excalibur at Shadows."

"I heard something telling me about unleashing something just now..."

I looked at him. "Did the voice sound like it was an echo of like ten people talking at once?"

"Yeah..."

"Then you've just experienced what I've dealt with for the past like ten months, but on a smaller scale." I said. "And Aigis said the same thing when the link with her apparently hit the maximum..." I paused. "...Come to think of it, hers apparently ALSO lets me throw King Arthur at people, unless somehow 'Pendragon' is counted separately."

"...Those voices are weird, man."

"Yeah, I've been thinkin' the same thing for a while now."

* * *

><p>Junpei and I stayed up talking for a while longer, half about random crap and half about what to do in regards to Tartarus. Only thing we settled on was Shadows needed to be punched in the face and by god we were gonna be the ones to punch 'em. We passed out before the Dark Hour, since we had to get up early the next day. All the students got piled into tour buses and got to go on a giant sightseeing tour of Kyoto. I still stand by my earlier statement of Kyoto being a nice looking city. Sometime in the afternoon, everybody was dropped off by a river near the hotel and kinda scattered to do their own thing. Aigis had slipped away from me, and in my efforts to find her I stumbled across Hamuko at the hotel, also apparently looking for someone.<p>

"Hey, Roy!" She called out to me in the lobby. "You seen Shinji anywhere?"

I shook my head as she sat down next to me. "No, why?"

"The bum's run off and I can't find him." She pouted. "I wanted to show him how cute I look in this yukata..."

-Oh yeah, she's wearing that one the hotel gives out to guests. Not a bad fit.- "Maybe he knows and is afraid he won't be able to handle it."

Hamuko laughed. "Oh, I think you should be the one worried."

"...Why?"

"It took a little convincing, but I got Aigis to wear one."

-...Damn it face, stop betraying my thoughts!- "...I'll look for her in a minute. But yeah, I haven't seen Shinjiro... all day come to think of it. Maybe ask Akihiko or Mitsuru-senpai?"

"I can't find them either..." She sighed. "No idea what Akihiko-senpai could be up to, but I saw Mitsuru-senpai and Yukari wander off in the same direction earlier."

I hummed. "Well, I dunno how to help then..."

"It's alright..." she paused, then looked at my face. "...Wow, no bruise?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"I hit you pretty hard that day." She noted, sounding surprised. "And there's not a bruise on your face from it? What're you made of?"

-...Oh right, when she bitchslapped me for spiraling in self-loathing.- "It's the spider's fault..." I paused. "Ah shit, I forgot to ask Ken to take Mira with him!"

Hamuko giggled. "I'm sure he probably thought of it and went back for her. Hopefully his dad won't mind."

"Yeah..." I sighed. "But yeah..." I glanced around. Nobody close enough to be eavesdropping. "...Anansi's got a passive healing thing like Shinjiro and Chidori do. Probably why there's not bruise, but god don't remind me of when you hit me. I just have to think about it and my face hurts all over again. How did you even hit me that hard, anyways? Usas can only account for so much..."

She grinned. "Ancient Arisato Family Secret."

"...I don't wanna know how anymore."

"Figured you wouldn't~"

"...But, y'know, it's a good thing you did hit me like that." I said. "I might not have snapped out of that funk otherwise."

"Hehe, Grandmama Sumi told me that's all it takes sometimes. Plus everyone else chiming in probably helped, too."

I chuckled. "...Yeah. I got a cavalcade of spooky voices talking about friendship that night. At least it wasn't all at once like that time with Maiko..."

"Eh?"

"Y'know how I suddenly started shouting and blamed it on delayed psychic whiplash? That was actually every Social Link I had with SEES members at the time going off all at once."

Hamuko giggled. "Too much friendship hurt your brain?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Well, glad to hear you're back to your version of normal." She said, smiling at me. "Gets kinda somber when the team leader's not up to his usual shenanigans."

I laughed. "Better than I was, actually. But now I wonder what'd happen if you had the Wild Card and I was just the normal Persona user."

"Oh, I don't think the world could handle that." stated Hamuko. "You've seen the kinda stuff I pull. With super friendship powers on top of that? I'd probably punch out a deity!"

"I would pay money to see that."

"So would my family, probably. It's no secret to them I'm a super energetic and ready to take on the world all day, every day."

"Yeah, I kinda noticed that. How do you keep it up? I remember one time we were talking a while back and you got kinda down because your family 'didn't feel like a family'."

She laughed nervously. "Oh, that... well, I know they still care about me and all, but... it sucks not getting to see your parents for months at a time sometimes."

"I can imagine."

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't-"

I waved it off. "No offense taken, don't worry."

"Oh, okay..." she trailed off a little. "...I wasn't expecting those gifts on my birthday, y'know."

"Really?"

"Really. I was expecting to get a call from my parents, mom probably in tears, apologizing for forgetting about it."

"Pretty great surprise then, huh?"

She smiled. "Best surprise."

"Ha, glad it made your day then." I grinned. "What'd you think of everyone else's gifts?"

"I still wanna know how you managed to find a whole BOX of booster packs."

My grin widened. "Well, the Wheel of Fortune turns in mysterious ways, doesn't it?"

Hamuko just started busting a gut. I managed to make out a 'God damn it Roy' amongst her laughter.

**CRASH**

"Oh hey, spooky voices are here."

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"...Well."

"What?"

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Fortune Arcana has been set free..._

"The voices are telling me we're best friends forever now..."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Persephone, the Ultimate form of the Fortune Arcana..._

"...And that us being BFFs lets me summon the wife of Hades."

"HA!"

"...If reaching the max on the friend-o-meter with Shinjiro doesn't let me summon Hades, I'm gonna be disappointed."

"So what other Super Friendship Summons do you have?"

"The Giant Gold Dragon from the last full moon was one. Others include Thor, Odin, various mythological figures I still need to Google the names of, and from Junpei and Aigis respectively, King Arthur and 'Pendragon'."

She gave me a look. "Isn't that-"

"Yeah, which is why I'm confused."

"...I bet you Pendragon's an actual dragon."

"That would be fucking awesome."

"Oh, can you summon Cthulhu yet?"

"I don't even know what Arcana he'd be, but if and when I can I'll let you know."

"Okay~!"

I turned my head, and- "Hi Shinjiro, how long have you been staring at your girlfriend?"

"...A while."

"Your thoughts on her attire?"

"..."

"Hehe, you're blushing Shinji~"

"...Shut up."

* * *

><p>After leaving Shinjiro at the mercy of Hamuko's whims, I found Aigis looking for something to bring back for Ken. We grabbed some snacks and stuff for him, since she remembered him trying to reverse psychology Junpei into getting him some a few days ago. After that, I found Junpei and Ryoji had somehow obtained and set up a Gamecube in our room and were playing Mario Kart on it. They regretted letting me join in for a bit before the lot of us passed out. I think the whole 'no Dark Hour to worry about for a few days' thing has us sleeping sooner than we normally do.<p>

The next day had the students out on a walking tour of the city. We also got some free time to scope out the city a little, which Hamuko used for some manner of evil plan that involved her dragging off Chidori and Aigis. I'm not sure if I should be afraid, but on the other hand, Yukari and Mitsuru seemed to be getting along very well. Also Penthesilea had changed into Artemisia since I saw her yesterday, so I suspect their sudden friendliness is a related thing. Once we all got back to the hotel, there was still no sign of the girls... at least near as we could tell. A little under an hour later, and Junpei turned up in the lobby to pester me.

"Hey, Roy!" he called out. "You wanna check out the outdoor hot spring?"

I paused for a moment to consider things before I answered. "Sure. It switches between when guys or girls can use it though, right?"

"Don't worry, Ryoji was gonna check the times before he went to see if Akihiko-senpai and Shinjiro-san wanted to join us."

"Alright cool, works for me then as long as somebody's checking things. Let's motor then."

"Hell yeah!"

* * *

><p>Less than ten minutes later, and the lot of us were in the changing room for the springs. Junpei and Ryoji all but literally tore their clothes off so they could get in faster, while the two upperclassmen were less eager. I, on the other hand, took forever because I was a bit paranoid and checking my pockets for all the Storage Deck Cards I had before I started getting undressed. Of course, I'd gotten my shirt barely halfway off when suddenly the door open and more than a few familiar faces were staring at me on surprise and confusion. Of course, that's to be expected when a bunch of high school girls accidentally barge in on a guy changing... especially when they've known the guy quite well on account of living in the same dorm with him. Aigis at least seemed to be enjoying the view, though.<p>

"...Fortune."

I just sighed. "Let me guess. It's the girls-only hour right now?"

Mitsuru simply nodded.

"Welp." I said, pulling my shirt back down and glad I hadn't taken off my pants yet. "Can you wait outside please? I need to go have a word with Junpei and Ryoji... and maybe prevent Shinjiro and or Akihiko from throttling them."

"Very well."

"Just be sure to hit Ryoji." commented Aigis.

I chuckled. "Yes, dear."

"Good."

So as the girls went to wait outside the changing room, I went towards the hot spring and threw open the door.

"Iori and Mochizuki, front and CENTER." I said sharply. "Which one of you was behind this?"

The two of them looked at each other from there spots infront of a large rock in the middle of the spring, then back at me.

"Behind what?" they asked.

"The girls from our dorm just walked in on me taking my shirt off." I said. "Seems we came in durring the Women-only time."

"What!" shouted Ryoji. "I thought Junpei checked the time!"

Junpei looked at him. "I thought YOU were gonna check the times!"

"Why would I if I thought you were gonna do it? Roy was in the lobby!"

"You were like right around the corner from it when we talked about it!"

I sighed, slapping a hand over my face. "Akihiko, Shinjiro, please pick an idiot and drag them out of the spring as violently as possible without potentially leaving marks."

"Sure thing."

"Dibs on the new kid."

* * *

><p>So after the morons got their heads knocked together by the senpai, the four of them got changed and we let the girls have the springs. Ryoji and Junpei both had to apologize first, though... of course, Mitsuru then promptly terrified Shinjiro and Akihiko by mentioning something about not getting to 'Execute' someone in a disappointed tone. Neither one would elaborate, but Akihiko was shivering in fear. I don't think I'll ever want to know the story, but I wager he knows what it is and it's not fun. Shinjiro and Akihiko went off to do their own thing while Me, Junpei, and Ryoji pummeled each other on Smash Bros Melee for a while. Ryoji left after the seventh or so match, saying he nearly forgot to do something before we had to leave, and a little bit after that there was a knock on the door before Hamuko barged in, Aigis and Chidori in tow.<p>

"Hey guys~!"

"What, you can't wait for one of us to open the door?" I asked, still teaching Junpei why I should not be allowed to play as the Fire Emblem character that shared my name. Shenanigans were involved in unlocking him quickly.

"This couldn't wait." She said, swaying in place a little. "But... have you seen Shinji?"

"What're you three doing here?" asked the man himself, as if summoned by Hamuko saying his name.

She span around to look at him. "Ah, perfect timing! I was wondering if you guys wanted to come to the hot springs with us!"

"Hamuko-san insisted on purchasing some swimsuits despite being out of season so we could enjoy the hot springs together." said Aigis.

"Sure."

There was a dead silence, even from the game, as Junpei and I stared at Shinjiro.

"...What?" he asked, looking quite evasive. "I kinda need an excuse to be away from my room right now."

And cue the five other people in the room all speaking at once to ask the burning question. "Why?"

"I... kinda locked Aki and Mitsuru in a closet together."

"Oh my god." I blurted out. "I thought you were kidding!"

"What the hell, Shinji!"

He just gave us all a look. "I was sick of them both clearly having a thing for each other but being too dense and or nervous to say anything, so I just gave them a chance to work it all out!"

"Yes, but who's going to let them out?" asked Chidori. "They can't stay in there for the entire time we're in the spring..."

"I asked Fuuka to let 'em out in a little while." he replied. "She was talking with Mochizuki just down the hall anyways."

I just sighed. "Well, as long as they won't be stuck in there all night then I guess no harm done. You have to deal with the consequences if they're pissed, though."

"Yeah... still, I'd like to hold off on that for a while."

"I accept your terms!" chirped Hamuko, holding up a couple of Shopping bags. "C'mon c'mon, let's go already~!"

Junpei slammed the power button to shut off the Gamecube and jumped to his feet. "Right behind you, Hamu-tan!"

"Junpei..."

"What?" he asked innocently, looking at Chidori.

She just sighed, a faint blush on her cheeks. "...Nevermind."

* * *

><p>I was honestly surprised the six of us managed to get into the hot springs without getting spotted, and that nobody else turned while we were in there. Won't hear us complaining, though. Getting a nice, quiet and relaxing hour or so with the most important person in your life right beside you the whole time? Stuff like that's priceless. Hamuko and Junpei were pouting when we did eventually have to get out and go to our rooms, though. Still not sure what it is about Kyoto that makes me and Junpei pass out before the Dark Hour, though.<p>

Next morning, and us three amigos were waiting for the bus to the train station for the trip back to Iwatodai.

"Y'know, I went on this trip thinkin' it was gonna be lame as hell." Junpei began suddenly. "But it was pretty damn awesome."

"Because of last night?"

Ryoji looked at us. "What happened last night?"

"Surprise glomping and cuddles from Chidori~" Junpei hummed contently.

"Ha! Well, I can't say I had a bad night either."

I looked at Ryoji. "How did that go, anyways? Akihiko and Mitsuru-senpai didn't murder you, did they?"

He shook his head. "No, they were just grateful I let them out... why did Shinjiro-senpai lock them in there anyways?"

"That." said Junpei, pointing past us for a moment.

It didn't take much effort to spot Akihiko and Mitsuru walking past us, hand in hand.

"...Well then." said Ryoji. "Can't say I'm surprised."

"I don't think anyone could besides them, honestly." I commented. "But apart from letting them out of their forced confinement, what all were you up to?"

"Talking, mostly." he replied. "I've never met someone so... incorruptible. Not a cruel thing to say about anyone."

Junpei bobbed his head. "Yeah, she's a real nice person. Really shy when I first met her, though. Guess it just goes to show how much more confident she is if she's talking to you a lot."

"Confidence is always good."

I hummed in agreement. "Yeah... always good."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Tower Arcana..._

-Spooky voices however, never make fucking sense ever.-

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - A fairly filler chapter I know, but there's not much I can really do with this part of the story. It's honestly one of the worst bits of Persona 3; Once December starts creeping closer and closer, the plot basically grinds to a screaming halt via hitting a brick wall at ninety miles an hour. Hopefully some of the ideas I have will sort that out! Also for the sake of reference, there's only TWO Switch It Up chapters remaining. The next chapter isn't one, but there will be another soon. The final one, though? Hehehe... that one's gonna be a doozy. I have so many plans for it. SO MANY PLANS.


	29. Abnormality

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Delta XIII - **More accurately, if Reshuffled was like a TV Show, then anytime someone mentioned any sort of card games, Roy would smash through a wall Kool-Aid man style and ask who brought up whatever card game was mentioned. And be very afraid; Roy will be able to summon Cthulhu before the fight with Elizabeth. Mwehehehe...

**Metro555 -** The Arcana Codex on my tumblr does not have a timeline, no. It IS official details about the Reshuffled Timeline, and does exist in-universe currently. Roy took the 'write down my crazy abilities' thing to heart and added it to the end of the Journal that is the main story of Reshuffled.

**We Thought It'd Be Funny -** The spooky voices have no origin... although now I have the mental image of it just being Philemon putting his voice through a supernatural voice filter.

At this point I'm just gonna say **Lady Starwing/Puppeteer of Hearts **is officially the co-author because honestly she's great and has helped a lot in me finally making lots of progress in Reshuffled. Also thanks to my wonderful girlfriend **Jenni Saba** and my other amazing and silly friend **ScarfDrillbur** for helping me! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>I still don't know how it's physically possible for the train ride back to Iwatodai from Kyoto took longer than going to Kyoto. I'm not even talking about it like seeming longer, it legitimately took longer. Don't ask me how I know it did, I just do okay? Anyways, we got back kinda late so the plan was basically 'go to the dorm and face plant in bed'. Of course, that got slightly derailed once I walked in the door behind everyone else and had a very large fist suddenly connect with my face. If not for Anansi resisting strikes enough that it didn't knock me flat on my ass despite the massive amount of force Ken's dad put into it, I'd have probably been in a lot of pain.<p>

"...You're tougher than you look."

"Is this about the spider?" I asked, Takeshi's fist still connected with my face. "Because if it is I'm sorry."

"What? No! This about you hitting my son with a goddamn coffee table!"

"I got stabbed for doing that!"

Takeshi blinked. "...What?"

I looked at Ken as best I could. He was getting one of his souvenirs from Aigis. "Did you not mention that part about the steak knife?"

The eleven year old carefully hid behind the robot. "...I... forgot... about that..."

"...Well." I sighed, then looked at Ken's dad. "Can you get your fist out of my face now?"

"Wait, when did you get stabbed?" sputtered Hamuko.

"...Kind of a semi complicated story that I assume Ken's dad knows part of, and me, the senpai, and Ken know the rest of."

Yukari just stared. "WHY did you get stabbed?"

"And what's this about hitting Ken with a coffee table?" asked Junpei.

-Oh god we're going to have to explain this shit to everyone.- "...Shinjiro, you alright if I begin the story time?"

"...Sure."

"OKAY SO. Let's start with when this shit all went down..."

* * *

><p>I got three lines into story time before Ken blurted out he told his dad what the hell we'd actually been doing. Mitsuru was only slightly annoyed by that, until Takeshi noted that his club appears to be the local hub of all things supernatural. I think she had reached her limit for coincidences, contrived or otherwise, after that because, I kid you not, she just threw her arms up, said 'I'm done', and then went upstairs. Akihiko went after her, sounding confused and concerned at the same time. I don't blame him. But yeah, I got to explain, with Shinjiro's begrudging assistance, why I got punched for hitting an eleven year old with a table and how I got stabbed because of it. Fun times.<p>

As you'd expect, the dorm was quiet after all the explaining was through. Hamuko had parked herself on Shinjiro's lap and was refusing to stop hugging him. Junpei had his head angled downward, Chidori giving him a concerned look. Fuuka's hand was still covering her own mouth out of shock like it had for the past ten minutes. Koromaru, having situated himself on Yukari's lap, seemed a little upset, as did the brunette who was petting him. Shinjiro wasn't looking anywhere in the direction of Ken or his dad. Speaking of them, Ken was sitting next to his dad and looking at the floor. Takeshi just had his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Aigis and I were the only ones not sitting down.

"So yeah." I said, breaking the silence. "That's all the backstory behind why we needed new Evokers, why Shinjiro needed convincing to rejoin SEES, and why Ikutsuki was hoping Ken would murder him."

"...You kids are in deep." commented Takeshi, opening his eyes. "But you think you can stop these monsters, even with no leads?"

I shrugged. "To be fair, if your club is the local Supernatural Hotspot, I might know a regular would could potentially give us a hint if he feels like being helpful and not magical. How'd you find out mystical beings turn up at your club anyways?"

"One part growing up down the street from the shrine in my hometown, one part having to break up a bar fight that involved a shrine maiden and a maid who was throwing knives about a year ago."

"Never explain the story behind that. As much as I'd like to know, I'm better off not knowing."

"I don't even believe it myself half the time, kid."

I scratched at my neck. "But yeah, like I was saying, we're sorta just spinning our wheels trying to figure out what to do. Apathy Syndrome's still a problem, and thus far the only place that MIGHT have answers is in a time paradox."

"What about that guy you know?" asked Takeshi. "...It's not like, Loki or something is it?"

"No, it's a spider." I sighed. "But asking an African deity for help with a Greek tower that's turned up in Japan might actually be a stretch."

"Wish I could help, but I don't have power like you kids." he said. "Just take care of Ken, alright?"

I nodded. "Always been a part of the plan."

Takeshi nodded. "Good. But, it's late and I'd hate to leave it to Mao to open the club and have to watch the club by himself for too long, so I'd better be off."

"See you later, Dad." said Ken, hugging him.

"While you leave, I think the rest of us are gonna go to bed..." Yukari spoke up, trying to change the subject away from the somber mood that'd been around the dorm. "I'm still kinda worn out from that trip..."

There were a few nods and murmured agreements, except from Shinjiro. He just stood up once Hamuko got off his lap.

"I'm gonna go get some air first..." he said quietly before he walked out the door.

I looked at Hamuko. She was pretty clearly tired, but also looking at me with a very clear intent to go follow her boyfriend, since Takeshi was heading out the door now. I just nodded, and she called out to Aigis as I followed Takeshi out the door. It was hardly a surprise to find Shinjiro standing in Takeshi's path on the sidewalk, or that Shinjiro had a very guilty look in his eyes.

"...Somethin' wrong?" asked Takeshi.

"...Yeah."

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting this. I knew he was upset about it, his reaction back in June was proof enough, but not to the extent I was seeing from him. This wasn't just simple, crushing guilt like it was when I talked to Ken and the Senpai in the comment room. This was 'my life is over, make the end quick' despair with him being on the verge of collapsing into loud sobbing. I wasn't aware it was possible for Shinjiro to look this sad, and the fact I was seeing it was not a comforting feeling.

"Well, what is it? I ain't in a big enough hurry to just brush it off."

Shinjiro was quiet, before he just... sank to his knees and started crying.

"I'm sorry..." he choked out between sobs. "I'm so sorry..."

Takeshi was taken aback by that. "Huh? What're you...?"

"I'm sorry I took your wife away from you!" exclaimed Shinjiro, looking up at Ken's dad. "And I'm sorry I can't bring her back!"

There were no words between them for a few moments, save for Shinjiro's sobs.

"...I'm sorry..." he said, hanging his head again. "...You have every right to hate me."

"I don't hate you."

I think that was the only thing more shocking than seeing Shinjiro in full on tears, honestly.

Shinjiro's head snapped upwards again, his eyes wide in confusion.

"Listen, I'm not a blind man. You looked terrified that night, even moreso right now." said Takeshi. "Outside of when you fed those cats that hang around the mall, every time I saw you, I just saw a dead man walking. I don't know of any person who'd feed kittens like that who wouldn't be eaten away by their own guilt if they killed someone. 'Sides, my boy's told me about how you were lookin after him at the dorm, even knowing he hated your guts. What I see infront of me right now isn't some unrepentant monster, but an honest, good-natured kid who needs some closure on the biggest regret of his young life."

Shinjiro just kept staring. "But... I..."

"You said yourself, you lost control that night because you were scared." Takeshi continued, cutting Shinjiro off. "All because you were lookin' out for your best friend, and knowing how my sweetheart was, she'd be smackin' you upside the head with her favorite book for actin' like this. Only reason it happened was because of that paradox thing where those monsters live, right?"

It took Shinjiro a moment before he nodded slowly.

"So the way I see it, you were there because of the monsters in the first place, and that god forsaken 'Dark Hour' is what took my wife away from me and my son." he said, kneeling down to look Shinjiro in the eye. "I've got no beef with you, but you'd be doin' me a pretty big favor if you took that fucking time paradox and smashed it into little, tiny pieces so it can't hurt anyone ever again."

Takeshi extended one of his large hands towards Shinjiro.

"Think you can do that for me?" he asked. "I'm sure Chika would appreciate it."

Shinjiro shakily took his hand and shook it.

"Yeah..." he said, his voice as shaky as his grip. "I can do that."

Takeshi smiled. "Thanks, Shinjiro."

He helped the younger brunette back to his feet.

"But I think your friend there's been kinda concerned. Might wanna say somethin' to him, y'know?"

Shinjiro looked at me, and I kinda awkwardly waved at him.

"I gotta get going now, though." said Takeshi. "Feel free to swing by Escapade sometime... Just don't expect me to serve up any booze, alright?"

Shinjiro nodded as Ken's dad walked away, then he looked at me.

"...Saw all that, huh?"

"Hamuko wanted me to check on you."

He gave me a look. "Why?"

"Probably because she's already going to latch onto you the moment you get back to your bedroom and just not let go until morning, I'd say." I commented. "...You feeling better now, though?"

Shinjiro didn't say anything, opting instead to just kinda stagger towards the stairs and then sit down.

"...I might by morning." he said as I sat down next to him. "A lot of weight to get off my shoulders, y'know? Feels like it's not all gone yet..."

"I can imagine."

He let out a heavy sigh. "...I just... feel so damn helpless. Like when Mami..."

"Eh?" I asked as Shinjiro sharply looked away. "Who's Mami?"

Another sigh escaped him. "...Someone I used to know."

-...Someone he used to... Wait, didn't Akihiko say something about something hurting Shinjiro as much as losing his sister did him?- "What happened to them?"

"...She died."

-...Oh. Well. Seems I've found the ultimate can of worms... and it's already been knocked over by the last one. I can't let him go back inside like this. Wouldn't be right after everything that's happened.- "...Close friend?"

"My first crush..." he laughed sadly. "Real sweetheart. Sometimes Hamuko reminds me of her... but, you know how kids are. We were twelve, so it didn't really register that it was a crush."

"Still must've been nice to be close to someone like that besides Akihiko." I said. "No offense to the guy, but..."

Another sad laugh. "Yeah, I know. And it was nice... but well, things weren't quite as good as they seemed on the surface."

"Strict parents?"

"No actually. Her mom liked me a lot, and her dad was always at work since he was a cop."

-...Oh no.- "...I have a sinking feeling about where this story is going considering you spoiled the ending."

"...Nobody knows why her dad snapped." he said quietly. "I went over to play one day and... everyone..."

-...Oh god.-

"I found Mami in her closet." continued Shinjiro. "...She'd managed to crawl there to hide, but... I was too late. The last thing she said to me was that she was sorry before she..."

-I think I just felt part of my soul die. Not even in the funny kind of way, I mean really, I'm pretty sure a part of my soul just shriveled up and died from hearing that. I can't even imagine what that must've been like to see in person...- "...Ah..."

"Yeah... I... I couldn't be left alone for a solid week. My grandmother and aunt Yuuna were always with me." he said. "Just thinking about it hurts... even Aki doesn't bring it up. Not even when he sees the last thing I got from her..."

"A gift?"

"A plushie she made." he answered. "We were both really excited for the then-new Pocket Monsters Emerald, so... she made a Shiny Absol for me since it was my favorite and I'd wanted a Shiny one."

"...You ever find one?"

"About two weeks after she died. Still have it. Named it and the plush after her."

-Well there goes another piece of my soul... how has he stayed sane after all this? It's like the universe hated his guts... god, I hope it doesn't STILL hate him...-

"...Sorry if I freaked you out at all." he apologized. "I just... I needed to lay everything with Ken's mom to rest. If I hadn't said anything, I'd have probably lost my mind from thinking about it too much..."

I laughed. "Man, you saw the deepest, darkest part of me and had to punch it in the throat. I don't have room to judge you for wanting to clear the air with Ken's dad."

"Heh... yeah, guess you're right." he chuckled weakly. "You'd have probably done the same, huh?"

"Can't say I wouldn't have, Shinjiro." I said. "Because that would've been bullshit on such a level I'd have to punch myself."

"Shinji."

Eyebrow. "Eh?"

"I think at this point..." he said. "You can get away with using my nickname."

"...You sure?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I'm sure."

**CRASH**

"And then the voices show up and ruin the moment because blah blah Moon Arcana." I grumbled as the voices kept talking. "Honestly, you'd think they'd have SOME decency..."

That got a laugh out of Shinji. "Might be asking too much of the supernatural voices stalking you, Roy."

"Probably, yeah..."

* * *

><p>We sat outside for about another ten minutes before heading back inside and going to bed. School was kind of buzzing about the trip, and after seeing Ryoji and Fuuka eating lunch together before I left to go have mine with Aigis, I'm beginning to suspect there might be something going between them at this point. Of course, after school the horde was back out in force so I once more had to play 'Hide the bishonen from his fans'. This time I ended up tossing him into a bush before throwing them off his trail.<p>

"You didn't have to flip me like that..." he griped as he crawled out of the shrubbery. "Oh god, my back..."

"Sorry." I said. "I don't know my own strength sometimes..." -Sometimes having a Persona is inconvenient.-

Ryoji groaned once he stood up. "I'll say... geez..."

"You gonna be okay man?"

"Yeah... I'm nothing if not resilient." he sighed. "I feel like I've had it happen before... you sure we never met before Gekkoukan?"

I gave him a look. "Pretty sure. I mean, you stand out with that scarf you refuse to not wear every day."

"Hey, I look DAMN good in this!"

"I never said it didn't add to your swag, I'm just saying you always wear it." I countered. "Did you do that before you moved?"

"Yeah, I picked it up before last school year in the States."

I threw a hand up. "Then yeah, I'd remember seeing a dude walking around in a bright yellow scarf of asskicking. Hard to miss, y'know? It's like something you'd use to identify the main character in an anime."

"And your hair isn't?"

"Oh hardy har har, funny man." I griped as the two of us started to leave the school. "But seriously, I'm pretty damn sure we've never met before. What's got you so convinced otherwise?"

"That's the thing; I have no idea!" He replied. "I just feel like I've known you for a long time! Hell, I kinda get that feeling from most of the people in your dorm. Mostly you though... But speaking of your dorm, do you know why your girlfriend seems hellbent on attempting to murder me or something?"

I shrugged. "Not a clue. She's mentioned she's had some bad experiences in the past, so maybe you're just unlucky and remind her of someone who used to pick on her."

Ryoji looked distraught. "But I have such an innocent face..."

"Yeah, as innocent as a ten year old caught with their hand in the cookie jar..."

"I resemble that remark, you know..." he pouted. "But seriously, I'm not dangerous or anything, especially not to girls! And when she's not out to push me into a pit or something, she seems like a really nice person."

"Aigis is an absolute sweetheart."

He laughed. "You're lucky to have found someone like that."

"I like to think so, yeah."

**CRASH**

-GO CRASH SOMEWHERE ELSE, TOWER ARCANA.-

* * *

><p>Ryoji scampered off once we hit the Iwatodai Station... which resulted in me finding a wild Mitsuru Kirijo awkwardly standing a short ways away from Wild Duck Burger. I was surprised and confused, so I opted to see what was up.<p>

"Hey senpai." I greeted. "You waiting for someone?"

She seemed startled to see me. "Oh, hello Fortune... No, I just... ended up with a surprising amount of free time today and wasn't quite sure what to do."

"And Akihiko's got boxing club today, right?"

"Yes..." she sighed.

I hummed. "Well, I didn't have a very big lunch, so you wanna stop in at Wild Duck for somethin'?"

"Oh, um... certainly."

Eyebrow. "Not hungry?"

"N-No, I just..." Mitsuru trailed off for a moment. "Well, I'd wanted to go to Hagakure, but I saw Aragaki and Arisato inside and didn't want to disturb them..."

"Ah, fair enough." I said, taking a few steps towards Wild Duck before I looked at Mitsuru again. "You ever been in here before?"

She huffed. "What makes you think I haven't?"

"It's a fast food place, and your closest friends up to now have been the Boxing King of Beef Bowls and Gordon Ramsey." I pointed out. "One wouldn't think to ask, the other one's eye twitches every time a commercial for this place comes up on TV."

"...True..."

I laughed. "There's a first time for everything, senpai. I'd never been in a ramen place until I got here back in April."

"Even though you were born here?" asked Mitsuru as she somewhat hesitantly followed me into Wild Duck.

I nodded. "Yeah. Mom made a point of home cooked meals. One of the few things I can remember about her."

"I see..." she hummed as we waited in line. "Mother, much to her chargin, doesn't get to cook as often as she'd like to."

Eyebrow. "But don't you have a chef?"

"We do, but she still wanted to prepare meals for Father and I herself. She's quite good at it, too."

"What, did she go to a culinary school or something?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "No, her mother did and taught her at a young age."

"Well being able to cook isn't a bad life skill, no matter what you end up doing for a living."

"Indeed..." she trailed off. "...Is it profitable to sell these items at such a low price?"

"If it wasn't, they wouldn't." I pointed out as we walked up to the counter. "What'd you want?"

"Oh, um... a simple number one meal would suffice."

"I'll have a number three with only mayo."

* * *

><p>Didn't take more than a couple minutes before we had our food and sat down at a booth, though Mitsuru was surprised I was willing to pay for it. Guess she was a bit used to paying for everything herself.<p>

"Um... Fortune?"

I looked up at Mitsuru as I unwrapped my chicken sandwich. "Yeah?"

"Is there... any special etiquette I need to observe...?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Nah, as long as you're not doing something stupid like say, making stupid exaggerated eating noises while you have your food, you should be fine."

"I see... that's good to know." she said, unwrapping her own burger. "...It doesn't look like what the image on the menu did..."

"Yeah, they make 'showy' versions to advertise." I replied after I washed down a bite with my soda. "And honestly, it's hard to hold it against them. They make the food quickly to get it to the customers so they can eat it just as fast, then go on with what they were doing."

"It wouldn't be called fast food otherwise, I suppose..." admitted Mitsuru before she took a bite. She seemed to be processing all the details of it as she chewed it before she finally swallowed it. "C'est magnifique!"

Eyebrow. "Good enough to warrant the fancy French talk?"

"It's simple, yet satisfying." she replied. "It's a shame such philosophy can't be applied to more aspects of life..."

"Yeah... would certainly make things a lot less stupid."

**CRASH**

"Oh go away spooky voices, I'm eating."

* * *

><p>Everyone was feeling antsy a few hours after Mitsuru and I got back to the dorm, so we called another excursion to Tartarus so we could get some practice in. I think it's because there's another full moon coming up soon, so they don't wanna get rusty in case another Shadow turns up somehow. Of course, Hamuko had decided to break out something I'd forgotten I'd given to her...<p>

"...Hamu-tan?" asked Junpei, staring at her. "Where did you...?"

She did a twirl in her blue outfit before gesturing towards me. "Roy-kun got it when he turned in that crazy fan that shot exploding butterflies."

"...You look-"

"Why else would I wear it?"

-She looks scarily similar to the final boss of Perfect Cherry Blossom...- I thought as I noticed Shinji staring at her slack-jawed. -God damn it, I'm blanking on the boss' name... YUYUKO that's it.-

"Well c'mon, we don't have all night! Let's go!" Hamuko exclaimed, bouncing over to the teleporter.

"Uh... yeah, she's right." agreed Shinji, having managed to break out of his stupor.

-Hamuko, you have him wrapped around your finger so tight it's a wonder he can move.-

* * *

><p>I'd forgotten how strange the current block of Tartarus was. Fuuka said it was at least twice as big as any other section of the tower, but that wasn't the bad part. No, it's the fact this place was disco fucking fever from hell and it was really hard to see in. It was about the only thing that made fighting shadows hard – we could barely see the fucking things! Thank god Shinjiro and Hamuko have a penchant for obliterating huge sections of the battlefield. Hell, even one of the last three Guardians we found in this block wasn't much of a threat. So much so, Shinjiro one shotted it by accident. It was honestly pretty funny. The next one was more of a pain, though. Much more.<p>

"SHIT!" I yelped as I nearly took a powerful attack I hadn't seen before in the face. It seemed to be pierce physical, since Aigis completely blocked it when she jumped in the way. "Thanks, Aigis..."

"Stay close."

"Yeah, no kidding!" I said. "Junpei, Chidori, you two holding up okay?"

Junpei, unfortunately for him was the first one to get hit by that attack. Smashed him into a wall hardcore, so Chidori's been on medic duty for him.

"I've been better..." He groaned. "A lot better..."

Chidori smashed another gem to help purge the poisonous mist one of the Shadows had thrown out. "It would help if that Shadow would stop trying to poison everyone!"

"I'm more pissed that it's a set of triplets and they all won't stand still!" snapped Shinji as he tried to crush one with part of the ceiling. He didn't have much more luck than the last five times. "DAMN IT!"

"Rrrgh... Usas!"

An angry musical riff resounded as Hamuko's Persona appeared, a flash of rainbow colored light surrounding Hamuko, then another appearing around Shinjiro. "Roy, try and get them to slow down if you can!"

"I can sure as hell try!" I responded, a card hovering infront of me. "Let's see if a little static cling will do the trick!"

I smashed the card and Thor dropped his hammer, sending a Maziodyne across the ground. It was fast enough the Shadows didn't get to dodge.

"That got 'em!" I called out. "Go for it!"

"Shinji!"

"Alright!"

"_**PERSONA"**_

There was a thunderous booming noise as both of them summoned their Personas.

"_**DIVINE RULE"**_

And apparently the 'Divine Rule' is 'Don't fuck with Shinjiro and Hamuko' because now there's spikes of ice and rock stabbing into the Shadows before exploding into laser bullets. I swear it looked like something out of Touhou... just with more actual violence. Also an angry, armored tiger-man and an ice-winged angel. The Shadows, however, didn't much like getting hit by that... though only one managed to not just outright violently explode. The survivor didn't even get to do anything; Chidori just burnt it to the ground.

"Two down, one to go now..." said Junpei as he got back up. "Geez, these things are givin' it all they got now... think that's a sign we're getting' closer to somethin' important?"

"Probably." I commented. "Let's just wait and see how bad the next one is before we make that call for sure, though."

"If it's anything like these ones, I'm invoking your Plan B, Roy."

I just stared at Shinji. "...Pardon?"

"You heard me."

-My evil plan has worked! Nyahahaha!-

* * *

><p>"I HATE THIS FUCKING THING!"<p>

"You and me both, Shinji!" I called out as I did my best to keep everyone on their feet.

So, this Shadow... it's a set of floating white dice. A very annoying set of floating white dice that can't just be burnt down with magic since it nullifies every element and absolutely adores using this one skill that bounces physical attacks right back at us. Only Shinji and Aigis are having any luck not getting ruined by having their attacks repelled, since they null at least one kind of physical attack type. The fact that one of the two dice is always casting the repel thing and the other is rolling itself around dropping various flavors of exploding lasers on us.

"Ngh!"

"Chidori!"

"Pixie!" Cue healing.

Junpei helped her back up. "You okay?"

"Yeah..."

"Fastest heals this side of Yukari or Ken." I joked before diving away from another explosion. "But goddamn, we gotta get rid of this thing SOMEHOW!"

"I got this!" shouted Junpei. "Time to lay down the law!"

-What the hell is he talking about?- I thought as Trismegistus appeared before blasting some kind fire orb at the Shadow... and the Shadow was set ablaze.

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Shinji. "What was that?"

"Herematic Law!" Junpei replied. "Roy, c'mon! Let's take this thing down!"

-Persona Switch! Anansi time.- "Right behind you!"

Card smash and -WHOA POWER SURGE WHAT-

"_**PERSONA"**_

Anansi appeared on one side of the dice shadow, and Trismegistus on the other.

"_**TRISMEGISTUS BLAZE!"**_

Both Personae burst into flames before jumping high into the air and doing a flying, diving kick through the Shadow, spinning around once on the ground and then -HOLY SHIT THAT IS A LOT OF FIRE-

"...Is it dead?" asked Hamuko.

Aigis looked at the inferno induced crater. "If it's not, I will be surprised."

"So will I." Chidori added. "What was that?"

I looked at Junpei. "Last time we did that was before we both resolved... It was Hermes Flame then."

"Heh, guess it got an upgrade along with us!" he grinned.

"Guess so."

"Wanna do it again?"

"We need Shadows to obliterate first."

"Aww..."

* * *

><p>I got to find out to my great horror that Junpei wasn't the only one with a crazy new move. Mainly in that Hamuko has picked up some kind of super hell mode ice spell that actually does what you'd expect ice to do; Slow things down to a crawl if it doesn't just outright kill them. Aigis had one as well, but it was a bit less crazy. Amped up the whole team to top form... but then she tried it in Orgia Mode and exploded the shit out of a bunch of shadows instead. I'm kinda concerned I'm not worried by this development... I mean we're already people of mass destruction, but those new moves turned up after I got the whole 'Eternal Friendship' chat from the spooky voices. I shudder to imagine what Shinjiro will suddenly unleash, to say nothing of what Mitsuru might get.<p>

Anyways, we hit the roadblock again a little while later. We also discovered Shinjiro can't actually break them, so we just did a bit more training before heading home. I got up a little early and wandered my way over to the Shrine and found Akinari there again.

"Hey." I greeted as I sat down. "You're looking better."

"For a given definition of 'better', I assume?" he chuckled.

"Naturally."

Akinari shook his head lightly. "If only it were so easy to change."

"You'd be surprised." I commented. "Though, some changes are easier than others."

He looked at me in surprise. "Are you speaking from experience? You seem... brighter than when we last spoke."

"I found my light." I said simply. "Though I had to face my darkness to do it..."

"Ah. Faced yourself, I presume?"

-...That was oddly specific in wording.- "Yeah. It was... intense."

"I can imagine." he hummed. "The strength of heart to accept your faults is nothing to scoff at, however."

"Why, you done it?"

"I had no choice." he said. "Better to face reality than hide in ignorance."

I nodded a little. "Yeah. A lot better..."

"By the way... what do you think of a pink alligator?"

I looked at him. "...Are you tripping on your meds?"

"No no, I was talking about an idea I had for a story..." stated Akinari. "He was born in a clam, green forest... but his pink color makes it almost impossible for him to hunt. None of the other animals like him, but he made a friend – a bird that couldn't fly. The bird stands on the alligator's back and practices flying as much as it can... it's a little embarrassing to talk about."

"I dunno, that sounds interesting."

"You think so? I've never tried writing a story before... I'm mainly doing it for myself. Something upbeat to cheer me up."

I smirked. "Well, a word of advice as someone who does a lot of writing? Go with the flow. Stories twist and turn, the characters within can come and go, but in the end? There is still something there. Something tangible to behold and consider. Do what feels right to you, and see what happens."

Akinari chuckled. "Such profound wisdom for a simple story."

**CRASH**

-Shut up.- "No story is simple, Akinari." I said. "Not yours, nor mine."

* * *

><p>Akinari and I were talking for a while longer before I headed back to the dorm. There was some half-hearted discussion about what to do by all of us for a bit, but eventually I went up to the roof. I stayed out there all the way into the Dark Hour, and once it hit... I dunno why, but I started summoning Personae.<p>

-Surt...- I thought, summoning the flame-wielding giant. The Persona just stared at me quietly.

-Lakshmi...- A twist of my hand, and Surt was replaced by the wife of Vishnu.

-Melchizedek...- Another motion with my hand, and the righteous king floated before me. -...Looks like a Kamen Rider. Wonder what that says about Chihiro...-

"Roy?"

I looked over my shoulder from where I was sitting on the roof. Chidori was walking towards me.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Summoning." I said, turning my head back to the Persona. -Byakko.-

The Sentai-esque figure was replaced by a large, white tiger.

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Thinking about stuff?"

"Like what?" she asked as she carefully sat down next to me.

"The people these Personae are tied to by their arcana." I replied, gesturing to Byakko. "This one's tied to you."

Chidori looked at the tiger. "...Temperance arcana?"

"Yeah. One of four I had to quick-fuse to summon Kohryu against the Hanged Man, actually."

"Quick fuse?"

"Apparently I can do a lesser version of the help the Master of the Velvet Room provides; Fuse Personae. If I do it, the resulting Persona is a bit weaker, where as Igor's method is more precise."

She hummed. "Interesting. What other ones do you have with you?"

"Kohryu for one, but summoning the giant ass dragon might worry everybody." I commented, holding out my hand. -Uriel.-

Byakko turned into a card that rotated once before Uriel's angelic form exploded into existence.

"Who's that one from?"

I smiled. "Aigis."

"An angel...?" hummed Chidori. "...It suits her, I think." she turned to me. "She really does mean a great deal to you, doesn't she?"

"If she didn't, I wouldn't love her so much." I replied. "Just like you and Junpei."

She blushed. "True..."

-Arahabaki.- I thought as the angel was replaced by the giant clay doll. "This one came from Ms. Toriumi, believe it or not."

"You formed a bond with our teacher?"

"Over an MMO, too." I laughed. "So I was half channeling the internet into my Hermit Personae."

Chidori giggled. "Shame it didn't make you unstoppable."

"Yeah, kinda." -Hell Biker.-

The clay doll was replaced by a skull-headed man on a motorcycle with wheels made of fire.

"...What IS that?"

"Something that I could get sued for if the creators of Ghost Rider ever find out about it." I said. "Weirdest part? That thing's from my bond with Maiko."

"Maiko?"

"Seven year old with family troubles I befriended at Naganaki Shrine. She ran away from home and ended up in Tartarus, so we had to get her out."

Chidori started at Hell Biker. "...Your Personae are strange."

"You're telling me..." I laughed, holding out my hand. -...Thanatos.-

At once, the demon biker was replaced by what was likely familiar to nearly everyone in SEES now. The coffin cloaked, skull masked god of death.

"...That's..."

"Yeah. Thanatos." I said, dropping my arm onto my lap. "Greek God of Death, and the only thing I have left of Pharos."

"...Pharos?"

I looked at Chidori. "You know that presence you sensed at the hospital? That was him. Looked like a black-haired ten year old wearing black and white striped pajamas all the time. Made snarky comments like it was an Olympic sport when he wasn't floating around invisible to everyone but me."

"I see..." she hummed. "But, you said it was all you had left of him?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I reached the 'peak' I guess of our bond right as he had to leave, and since he seemed to have some level of influence on my Wild Card powers, I figure he left me Thanatos as a 'guardian' of sorts. And after what Aigis told me about dealing with Shadow me? It sounds like a pretty accurate guess."

"You must've been important to him."

"I was his only friend." I said. "I miss getting to talk to him... even if he was a little shit sometimes."

"...I wish I had something like that of my mother."

I hummed. "...Do you remember anything about her?"

She shook her head. "No. I know I remember something, but I can't remember what it is. I think the suppressants and Takaya are to blame for that."

-Hrm...- "You think if you had something of your mother, you might remember her?"

"It's possible, but... where would I even find something she used to have?"

"Asami-sensei." I replied simply. "You'd just have to ask her."

Chidori hummed. "...You're probably right."

"Want me to ask her about it after that dumb 'career experience' thing is over?"

"I'd like to ask her myself, but... if you wanted to come with me, that'd be fine."

I smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me, Chidori."

**CRASH**

"Hush voices, I'm being a good friend."

"You sound annoyed."

I sighed. "Well there's no way to shut off the voices as far as I know and they're fairly goddamn abrupt in their announcement of their presence, what with them talking always being preceded by the sound of something crashing through a pane of glass."

"...Every time?"

I nodded. "Every single goddamn time, there's always a 'crash' and then yammerings that amount to 'yo dawg your friendship has intensified'. Only upside I have left is eventually I'll reach a point where they stop heckling me."

"That's good."

"Part of me is looking forward to it, the other part is gonna be sad to see the voices go."

Chidori giggled. "Can't be weird in a normal way?"

I laughed. "Yeah... pretty much."

* * *

><p>The next few days can be summed up as 'Are we done yet' because the dumb 'career experience' junk the school had us doing was varying levels of mind-numbing tedium. I think only Shinji and Hamuko got off without getting bored since they both ended up interning at Hagakure. Apparently the owner wanted to legit hire them because Shinji somehow made their already good ramen even better and drummed up a lot of business. I, on the other hand, got stuck...<p>

* * *

><p>I looked up from my laptop. "What smells good enough to tear someone's arm off over?"<p>

"Dinner, duh." said Hamuko from the kitchen doorway. "Hope you guys are hungry~"

Eyebrow. "What, did you guys cook like a three course dinner?"

"Seven course." Shinji commented from within the kitchen.

I stared at the table, then looked back at my laptop.

-...Well I'm not in any rush to finish this...-

* * *

><p>Now knowing Shinji, I expected some impressive and delicious food. I figured the 'seven course' thing was a joke, but... well, when you're staring at what should logically be set out on like, a table half the length of a house instead all crammed onto one dining room table, and all of it looks like it just came straight out of a cookbook or restaurant commercial, your jaw freaking DROPS. There was steak, yakisoba, sushi, the freaking WORKS. I think Chidori's reaction summed it up best, especially since it was in perfect unison with Junpei.<p>

"...Did he open a portal to the delicious dimension?"

Shinji just kinda sank behind the counter a little at that. Hamuko managed to fish him out from back there and get him to sit down with everyone to eat.

* * *

><p>"...Where do they put it all?"<p>

"Who, Roy, Chidori, Junpei, or Hamuko?"

"Them and Fuuka!"

"YOU WORK UP A MIGHTY HUNGER BY BEING AS STRANGE AS I AM, OKAY?"

"Did you have to yell, Fortune?"

"YES."

"...How is Chidori keeping up with them...?"

"I've always had a big appetite. It got worse after I awoke Medea..."

"...Well, given your healing ability, it would make sense you'd need more food..."

"How many beef bowls has Akihiko-san had...?"

"Too many, Ken."

"Arf arf!"

"Koromaru likes the steak, Shinjiro-san."

"Figured he would."

"Oh my god this is so good..."

"Now I get why you made so much... it has to last those three."

"And then some, yeah..."

"We ran out of rolls again."

"Roy-kun, you ate ten!"

"I lost count at twenty-one, actually..."

"I didn't even make that many!"

"Well I ate at least that much, so where'd they come from?"

"Hello everyone."

"GOD DAMN IT, ANANSI."

* * *

><p>It says a lot about how used to insanity we've become when a deity crashing our random dinner party is treated the same as a relative sitting down at the table. It really, really says a lot and not all of it is good. Shinji got modest when Anansi complimented his cooking, though he did warn him to never agree to cook for any large, burly white guys whose laugh could be mistaken for thunder; Apparently Thor could've eaten three times what Shinjiro made tonight and still be hungry. All in all though, it was a nice evening full of some of the best goddamn food I've ever eaten and spent among my closest friends.<p>

Of course, not all was well and good a few days later once December started up. Not because of the could, but... well...

...The anniversary of my parents death is twelve am on December third. I... get really emotional around then. Even before my Shadow was dealt with, it happened... but it never really felt like mourning... more like I was just reliving that night in my mind. I told everyone at the dorm about it on the first, and Mitsuru suggested I go for a walk in the evening on the second. I'd asked about the potential operation, since that's also the night of a full moon, but she said she'd tell Fuuka to let me know if something happened. Ryoji even noticed I seemed a little out of it at school that day, and he told Aigis to, and I'm not exaggerating here, not let me out of her sight until tomorrow. Surprisingly, she didn't object in the slightest. Glad to see she's finally warming up to him.

It was around ten that I went out for a walk with Aigis latched onto my arm the whole time. It was nice to have her with me... helped my nerves a lot.

"What time is it?" I asked her as we approached the Moonlight bridge. "I can't check my watch with you holding my arm like that."

"Eleven fifty-six, Roy." she replied.

"...Ah."

She looked up at me. "...Are you alright?"

"...I miss them." I admitted quietly. "I miss them a lot. More than I ever realized I did..."

We walked quietly for a few moments before Aigis spoke up again.

"...I'm sorry I couldn't save them..."

I smiled at her weakly. "I know you still tried your best that night, Aigis..." A laugh escaped me. "And technically... this is also the anniversary of when we first met, isn't it?"

She laughed as well. "You're right... it seems so strange, thinking about it. You were just a small child then... I had only been active for a little over a year."

"Strange how things work out, huh?"

"Strange indeed... but, in the end?" said Aigis before she kissed me on the cheek. "I like how things turned out."

I kissed her back. "I do too, Aigis."

**DOOM**

-...December third.- I thought as we started across the bridge. -At the scene of the accident...-

"...Aigis."

"Yes?"

"Do you think something might happen tonight?" I asked, stopping and looking up at the sky. "It's a full moon..."

"...I hope not. I hope that Ikutsuki's claims were wrong."

I sighed. "So do I..."

"...Roy."

"Yeah?"

"Who is that?"

I looked ahead and there was someone standing on the bridge at ways ahead of us. I couldn't tell who, but then I felt a stiff breeze blow across the bridge. A long, yellow scarf billowed in the wind for a moment as I stared at the figure.

"...Ryoji?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes -<strong> GUESS WHO THE PERSPECTIVE CHARACTER OF CHAPTER 30 IS~! Hint: Not Roy or Aigis. :Dc Mwehehehehe... You ready to Switch It Up, readers?


	30. Switch It Up: Death

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Delta XIII -** Roy's career experience will be partly mentioned in this chapter because of reasons. And you'll find out Roy's reaction to the Mega Beef Bowl in Inaba once I get that far in Golden Moon.

**Overlord Duelist -** I BLAME MY BRAINS AUTO-CORRECT *loud sobbing*

More thanks to **Puppeteer of Hearts**, **Jenni Saba**, and **ScarfDrilbur** for semi proofreading this chapter because they are all amazing people for various reasons. Anywho, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>It was strange seeing Roy being so quiet. He wouldn't answer me when I asked what was wrong, so I ended up trying to find out from Junpei.<p>

"Oh, yeah... he mentioned that the other day." He said as Chidori-san went to go speak to Fuuka about something. "Well... today's the anniversary of when his parents died."

I felt myself go pale. "Oh... man, I'm sorry I asked then..."

"Well, you wouldn't have asked if you knew so it's no big deal..." Junpei hummed. "Just... don't bring it up, okay? I get the feeling today's the only day that mentioning his folks might not be a good idea."

"I'll keep that in mind..."

I managed to bump into him and Aigis again, and told her to keep an eye on Roy the whole day. It just seems like the time he'd desperately need someone close to him. Thankfully she didn't get short with me, so I think she's finally warming up to me. After school, though... everything was strange for me. I didn't remember going home. I didn't remember having dinner. I just... found myself somewhere. It was clearly late at night, but... the sky was green and the moon was yellow. Nobody was around, but it felt... peaceful to me. It took a few moments before I realized where I was. It was the center of the Moonlight Bridge. I felt a sharp breeze and shivered as I looked to the side of the bridge... the ocean looked like it was made of blood, or at least full of red food dye.

"...Ryoji?"

I turned around when I heard the voice. "Roy?"

He stared at me, as did Aigis. They were both fairly bundled up, and she was holding onto his arm tightly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

It took a moment before I let out a weak laugh. "I don't know. I don't remember much after I left school today beyond saying goodbye to Fuuka... when I came to my senses, I was standing here on the bridge. The sky and ground seem strange, and there doesn't seem to be anyone here..." I hummed. "And... I'm certain something terrible happened here, but I feel at peace... strange, isn't it?"

"...You don't know what this is, do you?"

I shook my head. "No. Do you?"

"The Dark Hour."

-Dark Hour...? Wait, I've...- "Ngh!" I clutched my head with one hand as it started to throb. "That... why do I...?"

"...Roy."

I looked up as he turned his head towards Aigis.

"...I remember."

His expression seemed to darken. "Remember what...?"

"I remember what happened that night." she said. "That night ten years ago..."

Roy's eyes widened. "You remember? How?"

"...Seeing him here..." she stated, pointing at me. "...This isn't the first time we've encountered on this bridge."

I blinked in confusion, my head still pounding. "What are you...? Wait... no, you're... you're right...? What the...?"

"Aigis... what are you talking about...?"

"Ten years ago, I stood opposite him... as enemies."

"It was night like tonight..." I said, images and sensations rushing through my mind. "The moon was full, and it was so long ago..." -Ngh... it hurts...- "Why do I...? What am I...?"

"His name wasn't Ryoji then... it was 'Death'." She continued. "...He is the Shadow I sealed away ten years ago!"

There was a nigh deafening silence as memories kept bubbling forth from the depths of my subconscious. Interactions... being sealed away... the fight... a car accident...

"...So then, when you beat that..." Roy stopped sharply. "Ngh! Damn it...! What... wait... I remember... Why do I remember that night now? What the hell is...?"

"...Yes... Ten years ago, the night I was born into this world..." the words spilled past my lips as the pain finally started to subside. "And I set foot on this very bridge... They said I was Death, the thirteenth Arcana that was never meant to be... and I wasn't in this world for long before parts of my body escaped and left me incomplete like I was when I met you..."

"...Never meant to be...?" I heard Roy ask before Aigis stepped away from him. She seemed... ashamed.

"But even incomplete, you were far stronger than I anticipated." she said. "The only possible alternative I could formulate at the time was to seal you away... and, as unfortunate circumstance would have it, there was something to contain you nearby: A human child, clinging to the hand of his deceasced mother."

"...Me..." said Roy, his eyes wide in shock. "You... you crammed RYOJI into my head that night?"

Aigis shuddered and nodded slowly. "...I... I saw no other option... I couldn't destroy him, but I couldn't let him go free... so I..." her head lowered. "I'm... I'm sorry, Roy... I couldn't... I couldn't save them...!"

He just stared at her quietly, then looked at me. I let out a short laugh.

"So then... while I was confined in him, I lead him to my missing pieces without realizing it..." I laughed bitterly. "I tricked him without realizing it... I got my only friend to just... just blindly bring about something terrible and I didn't know that's what I was doing...!"

There was another long pause in the conversation before Roy let out a half-hearted chuckle.

"Well, I gotta say Pharos..." he began. "You certainly age gracefully..."

I blinked. "...Roy?"

"So... so all this time you've been camping out in my head..." he said, taking a few steps away from both myself and Aigis. "You've really been some crazy super doom Shadow, not a ghost inexplicably bonded to me...? And the attack on the dorm in April..." he turned back to me. "It was because I came back to Japan, wasn't it? The fragments of you were those Shadows. They woke up because I came back to Iwatodai and you got to hitch a ride..."

-...I don't like this...- I thought, thinking back to the times I'd spoken to him alone. Times he didn't write down out of paranoia. He used this same tone... this near hysterical tone of voice.

"And... and it's the spark that drew us together." Roy continued, turning towards Aigis. "He all but broke you in that fight, didn't he? And because of it, you couldn't remember what you'd done... but at least one part of your system did."

"Roy, I..."

He held up a hand. "I'm not mad at you, Aigis."

I blinked. -...What?-

"Far from it!" He said, his tone changing. "It all makes sense. All the strange happenstances, the meetings with the Demi-Fiend, the casual pestering from a Spider God, the Reaper acting differently to me than he did to anyone else..." He sounded... calm. Almost too calm. "It all traces back to the one thing I couldn't remember. The night mom and dad died... the night we first met... and the night he was unleashed."

Roy looked up towards the moon.

"...The full moon reminded you of that night, and you stirred, huh?" he asked. "That's why I could never sleep on those nights."

-This is... too odd. The Roy I know would be all but a screaming mess by now. What happened after I left...?- "...Yeah..."

"...The accident had nothing to do with you guys fighting. The car crashed before the Dark Hour." he said, walking over to Aigis. "But y'know, you're wrong about something, Ryoji."

I blinked. "Huh?"

"That whole thing about 'Death' being the Arcana never meant to be is so wrong I ought to punch you." stated Roy, looking at me. "Or did you honestly forget that I'm a walking primer of all things Tarot?"

"...But, I'm..."

"Death is change, not the end you moron." he all but growled. "Of course, those Shadows have been reversed Arcana, huh? Even then, Death still isn't some 'thing that was never meant to be'. Death is a part of life no matter what anyone does."

"...Roy, are you feeling well...?" asked Aigis. "You're acting... strange..."

He shrugged. "I feel fine. Bit of a headache, but I guess me not remembering what happened ten years ago could be pretty easily be attributed to you having to use me as a Shadow Containment Unit while I was pretty god damn upset. It'd also explain my Shadow..."

"Wait, WHAT?" I all but shouted. "Your Shadow?"

"You missed a lot right after you left, Pharos."

I looked between Roy and Aigis a few times.

"...So what are you going to do?" I asked them. "Try and destroy me?"

Aigis almost took a step forward, but Roy beat her to it.

"If that would've worked, Aigis would've splattered your ass across this bridge ten years ago." he said with the most unflinching certainty I've ever heard from him. "But now? I don't think so. You got your other pieces back, right? So you're stronger?"

I nodded hesitantly. "You could say that, yes..."

"Cool, because I'm kinda curious about something."

-...Why do I feel impending dread?- "...What?"

He cracked his knuckles and smirked. "Well, the way I see it, since your coming about is the cause of the Dark Hour, I kinda owe you one pretty harsh fist to the jaw for causing my parents to die."

I blinked. "...What."

"It's been ten years, the wounds have healed pretty well for the most part, and mangling you won't bring them back." He said. "Also I want to see if you've been paying attention."

"...To what?"

"How I fight, duh. You've been in my head for as long as I've been able to throw a punch... but, of course, you missed everything that I've learned and figured out over the past month." He said, then looked over his shoulder. "Aigis, you mind if I get into a scrap with him?"

She looked at him, then at me, then back at Roy.

"As long as you're careful." She said, looking very concerned. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

Roy simply scoffed. "Ah, it'll be fine. Like when Shinjiro and Akihiko beat the crap out of each other!"

"...Shinjiro can destroy entire walls of Tartarus with one punch, let alone the carnage him smashing an axe into something causes." I pointed out. "And not even you can hurt me, Roy."

"Ah, but did you forget?" He held up a hand and a blue card hovered in his palm. He crushed it a moment later, and a familiar figure appeared behind him. "You left some of your power with me, genius."

I stared at Thanatos. "...Oh." -Shit.-

"So!" He said happily, sounding like he was about to start belting out 'Happy Birthday' or some similar such cheery tune. "Let the rumble begin!"

"Roy, this-"

It took him about two seconds to close the gap and slug me in the jaw. I staggered a little, then had to start blocking and dodging or I might've been in a lot of pain. He didn't seem to have changed that much since the last time I saw him fight... or at least, that's what I thought until he did a feint I didn't recognize and socked me in the gut. I backed up and kicked him in the chest, knocking him down and sending him sliding along the ground a little.

"Roy, this is stupid!"

He sprang to his feet. "And I've reached some state of nirvana-like insanity because of these revelations, so shut up and deal with it! I want to tire myself out so I don't go the legitimate, not silly kind of crazy!"

"But-"

He cut me off with a loud yell before he barreled towards me again. This time, he only got in a few swings before a barrier repelled him.

"Ow!" he griped as he regained his footing. "What the hell?"

"Just stop, Roy!" I pleaded. "This isn't going to accomplish anything! If you keep attacking me, I not be able to stop myself!"

He arched an eyebrow. "So you're saying you might kill me?"

"Yes, that's-"

"What, you don't have a say in not killing your first friend?"

"I'm the Harbinger of the Fall, Roy!" I screamed. "I'm going to end up killing EVERYONE!"

His expression shifted into a glare. "Not on my watch."

I actually recoiled from that. His eyes seemed... different. Harsher... and I don't remember them being that bright of a shade of orange. He rushed towards me and I almost had a panic attack because I suddenly heard rattling chains... like he'd had broken shackles attached to his wrists. He slammed his fist into the barrier and the force of the impact actually caused me to slide back a fraction of an inch even though he didn't hit me.

-Is this what he was talking about...?- I thought as he kept smashing his fist against the barrier. It was actually starting to strain under his blows. -When the hell did he get THIS strong?-

"Hey, Pharos."

"...Yes?"

"KNOCK KNOCK!" He said, smashing his head against the barrier. Cracks formed in mid air where he'd struck. "You got company!"

"Roy, calm down!"

"I'm very calm, Aigis!" stated Roy, looking over his shoulder and yanking off his hat.

"You're bleeding!"

"Again?" he said, then he reached up and touched his forehead. There was blood on his hand when he pulled it away "...Oh, shit I am..."

Aigis started towards him, but Roy suddenly summoned his Pixie persona and healed himself before wiping the blood off his face.

"All better." he commented cheerfully. "Now then..." with another swing of his fist, he punched right through the barrier and grabbed the collar of my shirt. "I believe we have a brawl to finish."

"Let go!" I shouted, trying to pry his hand off me. "Roy, it's useless!"

"You picked the worst time to try and reason with me, bro."

* * *

><p>I'm not sure what exactly had gotten into him, but despite my repeated protesting, Roy and I ended up in a knock down, drag-out brawl that lasted about ten minutes. Aigis kept calling out to him, and might've been the only reason he hadn't gone into some sort of feral rage. Eventually, the both of us were laid out on the bridge, with Aigis sitting next to Roy.<p>

"...Are you done now...?" I groaned in English, too sore to turn my head.

"Yeah..." he replied in the same language. "...Worked all that shit out... sorry 'bout that man."

I coughed. "Well, I'm tougher than I look so... no hard feelings because nothing's broken."

"You sure? I coulda sworn I heard your leg bones snap at one point..."

"That was the pavement." said Aigis. "Superficial cracks only, thankfully."

"Oh..."

"Aigis!" "Roy!"

I had to force myself into a sitting position as footsteps and voices started getting closer.

SEES suddenly started huddling around the three of us, with Fuuka kneeling beside me.

"What happened?" she asked. "I sensed Roy-kun fighting something, but..."

"Not gonna lie, I could've handed finding out some stuff better." Roy groaned. "My bad..."

"...Explain, Fortune."

I turned my head to see Roy limply gesture towards me as he continued to lay on the ground. "He's Pharos."

"...Pardon?"

"The kid who got me to sign the contract that got me into the Velvet Room." He said. "Ryoji's him, just older in appearance. Also shit's fucked."

Mitsuru-san turned towards me. "What is he talking about?"

I winced as Fuuka inspected my left arm. "I'm... a Shadow."

"You're a WHAT?"

"Not so loud Junpei, I smashed my head against a lot of stuff tonight..." Roy whined.

"I knew there was somethin' off about you..." commented Shinjiro-san. "But how the hell are you a Shadow?"

I saw Roy sit up out of the corner of my eye. "He was sealed in my head ten years ago. Y'know those Shadows we killed because the Chairman told us to? He's number thirteen, and he absorbed them after we beat the shit out of them."

"...What."

"I would be able to explain better if I hadn't spent the past ten minutes in a fist fight with him..." I groaned. "What the hell have you people been feeding him this path month? He hits like a cinderblock fired out of a cannon..."

Confused looks were exchanged between everyone. Even the dog wasn't sure what to make of things.

"Ditto that bit about the explaining..." added Roy. "I need sleep bad because I hurt everywhere and I'm tired as shit..."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have insisted on that fight, Roy."

He sighed. "Yes, I know I done goofed Aigis... but sleep first, then you can pinch me for it..."

"What he said, except with less pinching please..." I whined. "I hurt in places that don't exist..."

* * *

><p>Fuuka and surprisingly Yukari-san helped me get back to their Dorm, while Aigis and Shinjiro-san helped Roy. I got to rest in a spare room on the second floor after Yukari-san used one of her more potent healing abilities on me. Waking up in that bed was a little disorienting in the morning, as was having Roy toss one of his spare uniforms at me so I could actually get changed. There were odd looks sent my way all day at school, and naturally I went back to their Dorm right after school and straight up to the meeting room on the fourth floor.<p>

"Let's start simply." began Mitsuru-senpai as everyone took a seat. "Mochizuki, you said you were a Shadow?"

I nodded. "That is correct. As you no doubt heard Roy mention, I was Pharos, the odd 'ghost' who followed Roy around..." I looked at him. "How did they find out about that, anyways?"

"The day you left, Ikutsuki stabbed us in the back." he replied. "Hijacked Aigis, tried to sacrifice most of us, revealed he'd wanted Ken to join us in a bid to kill Shinjiro, and to top it all off my Shadow appeared and all my deep dark secrets got flushed out into the open. They also know about the Journal."

I blinked. "...Well. That... makes a explaining some of this easier. Who's read it so far?"

"I have." answered Mitsuru-senpai. "I gave it to Akihiko when I was finished."

"I passed it off to Shinji when I was done with it."

"Hamuko's got it now." said Shinjiro-san. "You were seriously messed up back then, Roy. It showed in your writing."

"Yeah... yeah, I know."

"Anyways, as those of you have read it know, I appeared before Roy when he first arrived and had him sign a contract." I said. "To be honest, I didn't know what it was for, just that getting him to sign it would be a good thing. It's another part of why he can use so many Personas."

Junpei made an odd face. "But if you're a Shadow, why were you hanging out with Roy?"

"Aigis sealed me inside his mind on the night his parents died." I replied. "It was unfortunately also the day I was created and the day the Dark Hour began."

"Wait, Aigis did that?" asked Yukari-san. "But, how...?"

"I had been sent to destroy him, as his designation was 'Death' at the time." answered Aigis. "His escape also caused him to fragment into thirteen individual creatures – The Twelve Shadows that were fought on Full Moons. Because of that, he was weaker, and I managed to fight him to a stand-still. However, I could not complete my objective of eliminating him. The only option was containment, and... unfortunately, the only thing capable of containing Death at the time was... Roy."

That drew a few concerned looks his way before they returned their gaze to me.

"But... if you were sealed up, how did you get out...?"

"The Twelve Shadows." said Roy. "Ryoji absorbed them as we destroyed them. The most obvious time that happened, though, was the night I awakened my first Persona. I'm pretty sure both Mitsuru-senpai and Yukari remember that."

Yukari-san shivered. "Yeah... as much as I don't want to."

"But, why were you made at that lab?" asked Fuuka.

"I was created to be The Appriser." I replied. "A beacon to awaken the maternal being and draw her to me..."

"The Appriser? Of what?"

"The mother of Shadows." I said. "In ancient times, she bestowed 'Death' to this world. If she is awakened, darkness will once again cover the land, and all life will vanish."

Akihiko-san suddenly stood up. "Wait, you mean everyone will die?"

"Vanish...?" murmured Mitsuru-senpai before her eyes widened in terror. "Th-Then, the even you're talking about is... The Fall..."

"There's still a way to stop it though, right?" asked Hamuko.

I looked away and didn't answer.

"...Right...?"

"...I'm sorry."

"Wait, what're you apologizing for?" shouted Yukari. "Are you saying there's no way to stop this?"

"You all must've heard the bell." I said. "I'm the Appriser of Death. My existence is the affirmation of the Fall."

There was a loud hum to my left, causing me to look at Roy.

"This 'Maternal Being' you mentioned..." he began. "What's their name?"

"They are called Nyx." I stated. "And don't say you intend to fight her, it's impossible to defeat-" I suddenly had a book hit me in the face. "OW! What the hell?"

Roy just pointed at the book that was now sitting on my lap. I flipped it over and the title gave it away as some manner of mythological encyclopedia.

"For someone who's been in my head for ten years, you've sure got a bad grasp of mythology." he said. "Granted, mine was kinda rusty, so I picked that up during the Carrier Experience week when I was helping out at Bookworms."

"The used book store near the station?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm kinda friends with the old couple who runs the place. Anyways, anyone with more than a passing knowledge of Greek Mythology will tell you that Nyx isn't some super sized omnipotent shadow, but rather the Primordial Goddess of Night who was only ever really dangerous if you tried to mess with her kids. Even Zeus didn't mess with her."

"How do you even know that I'm talking about the same Nyx?" I inquired angrily.

"Because of Thanatos." He answered. "And the fact ol' Reaps in Tartarus was more than a little interested to see you in that form when we rescued Maiko. Speaking of which, Tartarus is claimed to be the home of Nyx and her children Hypnos and Thanatos in some myths. And given how we've ALL casually met not only the god damn Demi-Fiend who's punched Lucifer in the face, but an actual deity in the form of Anansi, I have very little reason to think we're not dealing with the real Nyx from Greek Mythology, not just some giant Shadow."

I stared at him. "...And if it's not the Nyx you think it is?"

"I will eat my goddamn hat." he said. "And I like my hat."

"And even if it's not, we'll still win!" chimed in Junpei. "We've never lost a big battle yet, so why should a fight with Nyx be any different?"

"Because it's not a matter of strength, ability, or sheer power, Junpei." I said. "You'd be fighting a being who's been around since the universe was created at best and the very concept of Death itself at worst. Just as everything dies and time continues onward, Nyx cannot be defeated."

Roy scoffed. "You say that like diplomacy isn't an option."

"So you want to try and politely ask the all-powerful goddess to not wipe out all life with a flick of her hand?"

He shrugged. "I sure as hell don't see why we can't. And honestly Ryoji, I have a lot of doubts that anything you tell us is going to get us to not stand and fight if we have to... even if it makes no sense for Nyx to WANT to fight, since as far as I know none of her kids are in any potential danger."

"There is another option, you know."

Roy just gave me a look. "If you say 'give up and let the end come' I am going to punch you again. You know damn well I won't do that."

"I don't know a damn thing you'll do anymore." I stated. "The fist fight threw me off bad enough as it is. But at least hear me out. Please."

He sighed. "Alright, alright. What's this 'option' of yours?"

"Nyx's coming cannot be avoided, but it is possible to live in peace until she arrives. You... would have to kill me-"

"No." snapped I believe half the members of SEES present in absolute unison.

"Your option is now off the table." declared Mitsuru-senpai. "I would never condone sacrificing someone just to attain peace of mind."

"But-"

"OFF THE TABLE." she repeated.

I recoiled slightly. "But you wouldn't remember the Dark Hour, the Dark Hour itself would disappear with me, and none of you would have to live in fear of the inevitable death that-"

"Did you NOT hear her?" barked Akihiko, stepping over and yanking me out of my seat. "We're not going to do it, Mochizuki!"

"Akihiko, put him down."

The silver haired boxer all but literally seemed to growl at me before he dropped me back into my seat and sat back down near Mitsuru.

"If it makes you feel better, you don't have to decide for sure right now..." I coughed. "You have until New Years Eve to think about it. After that... I'll fade into the Dark Hour and disappear."

"...And what if we don't take you up on your offer?" asked Chidori.

"Then I'll tell you where to go if you want to fight Nyx." I replied. "But until New Years Eve, I'm not going to talk to any of you about this."

Hamuko seemed confused. "Why not?"

"Because I hate having to bring about the end of the world more than you guys don't want to kill me."

* * *

><p>Sorry to drop this random, kinda short stack of paper on your desk out of nowhere, Roy. I figured having some of my perspective on this might be interesting for your Journal, so I left this here. And before you ask how... well, I'm magical, that's how.<p>

-Ryoji 'Pharos' Mochizuki

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - SO! Ryoji doesn't disappear between the third and the thirty-first, Aigis isn't incapacitated for a month, and Roy had a mini meltdown of the tranquil fury variety! December 2nd/3rd is never a good day in Persona Land. And for the record, I may as well just tell you all now since there's only one Switch It Up Chapter left: It'll be when the story gets to Vision Quest. Not telling who the perspective will be from, though! I have a cunning and utterly insane plan for that chapter. Mwhehehehe...


	31. Living with Determination

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**EmD23** - I REJECT THAT REALITY AND SUBSTITUTE SOMETHING NOT STUPID. Because seriously, I don't care if it's canon that is the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard.

**Delta XIII** - Cunning, Insane plans are basically everything that Roy does. Also he will come up with one fairly soon to help out a certain scarf-clad harbinger of doom.

**Vivi239** - Yeah, I realized that kinda late, but Moros does get a mention in this chapter because of reasons. Wonder how long it'll take Roy to notice the connection between the Thanatos Persona and Takaya and Jin's Personae.

**rsdk525** - You'll see how they take things in this chapter and most of the next two. Chapter 34 is looking to be the official start of January here in Reshuffled.

**A Jack Frost Guy** - Oh don't worry, you'll find out what the hell is up with Nyx once January 31st comes around in the story. As for the next person who runs the final Switch It Up... Well, you'll just have to wait and see how the dice roll by then. Hehehehe...

More thanks to **Puppeteer of Hearts**, **Jenni Saba/Ella Lucarita**, and **ScarfDrilbur** for being awesome and helping with getting this done! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Ryoji got out of his seat and adjusted his scarf. "I should probably get going now..."<p>

He reached the door, looking back over his shoulder at us.

"And for what it's worth..." he began. "...I'm sorry."

I hopped out of my seat and darted after him as he went out the door. "Hold on a second!"

"What is it?" he asked as the door shut behind us.

"Man... are you really sure about all this crap?"

Ryoji sighed. "Yes, Roy. I'm very sure about all of this."

"There has to be something more to this and you know it!"

"Not as far as I know." he countered. "You'd have to ask a deity or something similar to one if you wanted to find out for sure, not a Shadow of Death like me."

I glared right at him. "So what, we're just gonna have to accept that shit's fucked?"

"Pretty much." he said. "But knowing what you've done before... well, I wouldn't be surprised if you came up with something."

"So there IS a way around this!"

Ryoji shrugged. "Again, you're asking the wrong guy. I don't know any way you could potentially stop the Fall, but there'd have to be someone out there who would. And if you do find that someone? Lemme know what they had to say on the thirty-first."

"I'll do my damnedest if I can help out a friend, Pharos." I said, holding out a hand to him. "You should know that."

He smiled, shaking my hand. "Just had to be sure you hadn't changed on me completely, Roy."

**CRASH**

"Shut up Tower Arcana, we're having a moment!" we griped in unison.

"Don't think the voices care, Roy!" came a voice from the other side of the door.

I opened the door and stuck my head into the room. "No shit, Shinji!"

I ducked back out and looked at Ryoji again. "...You gonna be okay?"

"...Hard to say." he sighed. "But... I've got a month to find out, y'know?"

"Yeah... see ya tomorrow, then."

"See ya."

I went back into the meeting room as Ryoji headed down the stairs. The atmosphere was pretty somber.

"...So." I began, looking around the room. "Thoughts on the matter?"

"Fuck the Dark Hour." Junpei snarled.

"Aptly put, Iori."

Hamuko squirmed in her seat. "I dunno how to feel about this. I mean, we've been wondering what next... but now that we have an answer for that..."

"You're not sure it's the answer you wanted?" asked Ken.

She nodded. "Yeah..."

"But at the moment, our only options, even if we're sure as hell not going to choose one of them, are all pretty terrible on paper." said Shinjiro. "We can take Ryoji's option, we can just ignore him, or we can stand and fight to the bitter end, even if the way he put it makes it sound like we'd be the first people on the chopping block once Nyx gets here if we tried that."

"Unless Roy's right." Chidori pointed out. "Given that we have met a deity, it's likely that's what we're dealing with."

"But even if he is, what're we supposed to do if Nyx doesn't feel like talking?"

Akihiko shrugged at Yukari's question. "I dunno. Hope she woke up in a good mood?"

"Mitsuru-senpai, wouldn't there be information about the experiment that caused all of this in the Kirijo Group's database?" asked Fuuka. "You could potentially find it yourself, or ask your mother for help..."

"It's possible that such information exists, but I would most certainly need to ask mother and father to access it for us." Mitsuru answered before she looked at Aigis. "Do you know any details beyond having to destroy the 'Death' Shadow?"

Aigis shook her head. "I don't. I was told to eliminate the Shadow that had escaped the laboratory. Other than initial testing at the Yakushima lab and several Shadow capture operations, there is little else in my memory prior to the incident."

"So... effectively our only hopes are A. The Kirijo Database, B. An African Deity, and C. The Demi-Fiend." I said. "Option B requiring the bastard to actually turn up when we talk about him."

"Would the Demi-Fiend even help us?" asked Mitsuru. "The first time we encountered him didn't go so well..."

I just shrugged. "If not directly, he could still potentially tell us something. He seems like a nice enough guy."

"Hate to rain on the parade, but I don't think we're gonna agree on what to do tonight." said Junpei. "We just had something really heavy dropped on our laps. Maybe we should think about it and try to decide next week?"

There was some odd, stunned silence as everyone looked at him.

"...What?"

"You're talking sensibly." said Hamuko. "Who are you and what did you do with Junpei?"

"This isn't the time for jokes, Hamu-tan." he grumbled. "We gotta take this seriously."

I scratched at my neck. "Personally I'd say some jokes would do us some good given how we're all trying to do our best impression of Shinji's death glare, but yeah... giving all this a week to sink in is probably for the best. Rushing our decision with the limited info we have right now probably isn't the best."

"Agreed." added Mitsuru. "We'll meet again in a week. It will give us time to find leads as well as let this new information process."

Grunts and nods of agreement came all around.

**CRASH**

"GAH FUCK, which one are you?"

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

"Oh. Fool again. I swear, whichever voice is in charge of that one is a lazy motherfucker..."

* * *

><p>Nobody really had much else to say and went to their rooms for the most part. Aigis wanted to talk for a bit though, so naturally she snuck me into her room... why, however, I didn't know, so I thought to ask.<p>

"So... why'd you insist on sneaking me in here?"

"...I... wanted to share a room with you."

I think my face went from zero to cherry red in record time at that. "What."

"Hamuko-san frequently sneaks into Shinjiro-san's room."

"That is not answering my question!"

Aigis shivered slightly. "...I'm... worried. With what Ryoji said..."

"What about it?" I asked. "Unless he actually has solid proof it's not the actual deity Nyx, I'm very much inclined to believe we can have polite conversations with her."

"But what if we can't?" she asked. "What if Nyx isn't what you think it is?"

I shrugged. "I dunno about everyone else, but if Nyx wants to kill me I'm gonna damn well make her work for it. But stop and think for a second. Ryoji's pretty heavily implied Nyx is active in the Dark Hour. By that logic, if we CAN reason with her..."

Aigis' eyes widened. "...We could potentially ask her to destroy the Dark Hour..."

"Exactly." I said. "Because contrary to what Ryoji would have us believe, there is always another option. It might not be instantly obvious or be what you WANT to do, but there's one or more options open. You just have to know where to look is all."

"What if there truly isn't an option, though?"

I scoffed louder than I probably should have. "Then we make one. Most likely requiring we throw Shinji at something."

"I don't think that will actually work this time around." she noted dryly. "And you're never going to get tired of that, are you?"

"Clearly I'll just have to throw him harder and no, I probably won't until a better option presents itself."

Aigis sighed and rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you, Roy?"

"Give me a hug?" I offered, a teasing grin on my face.

She smacked me in the arm, then gave me a hug.

"...Thank you."

-Eh?- "What for?"

"Being there last night." she said. "If you hadn't... I... would have fought Ryoji and... I..."

I felt her arms grip me tighter.

"...I would have lost... He was too strong, I saw it while you fought him... but, if you didn't share some of his power..."

A spark suddenly ignited in the back of my head at those words.

"...Aigis, you're a genius."

She looked up at me. "Huh?"

"Thanatos!" I said, looking her in the eye. "That's what Ryoji left me when he was Pharos, and we might be able to use that to either help him or stop Nyx if need be!"

Aigis blinked. "...Would that even work?"

I shrugged. "Not a clue, but I know exactly who to pester so I can find out."

* * *

><p>A day of school, a trip to the Mall, and a swift kick to a magical door later, and I was waltzing into the Velvet Room.<p>

"Hey Igor, I gots a question for you."

Naturally, he kept his unflinching smile as he curiously arched an eyebrow. "Oh ho? And what might that be?"

I summoned up Thanatos' card and set it on the table.

"You know about what I learned these past two days, right?"

He nodded. "Indeed. It is in my best interest to be aware of any revelations in regards to your journey."

"Alright, that saves time." I said, sitting down. "But here's the question; Would I be able to use Thanatos to help Ryoji avoid his fate?"

Igor stared at me blankly, his smile actually wavering slightly. "...I beg your pardon?"

I gestured to the Persona card on the table. "Ryoji is the reason I have this Persona. He left it with me on purpose while he was Pharos. It's part of HIS power, which had already been in my head for years anyways. Is it possible for me to use that to help him in any way?"

Igor's smile was gone completely, and instead he was looking at me with an expression that just screamed 'Are you out of your tiny mind?' at the top of his lungs.

"Oh my... I don't believe I've ever seen Master Igor so stunned..." said Elizabeth. "This isn't the first time guests have suggested outlandish plans, but... well, yours is something I'd have expected from someone from an entirely different realm!"

"...Really?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Quite so."

"...How different are we talking?"

"I do not believe an adequate example exists in any famous work of fiction from your world."

I blinked. "...'Kay then." I looked back at Igor. "Hey, you still with me man?"

"...Yes, but..." Igor began, still not smiling. "...Why would... what in the multiple levels of hell would possess you to think of a plan such as this?"

"Because there's the lingering threat of a potentially angry Primordial Deity wiping out all life on the planet?"

"...I see, but... you say he left you this Persona?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Just in time for the voices from the links to tell me I'd unleashed the ultimate form of the Death arcana."

Igor seemed puzzled. "...Something of that nature should not be possible."

"...What?"

"Unless he was either the deity in question or otherwise related to said deity, you should not have been granted this Persona." he said. "I could understand if it was merely the Ultimate Expression of the Arcana, but with the certainty of your statements, I'm completely certain you should not have this Persona at your disposal. Or at the very least..." he picked up the card and inspected it. "...Not in the form it has taken."

"You didn't say anything about that when I fused it!"

"Yes, but at the time I was unaware you had been granted this Persona by another being." noted Igor. "Thus I saw nothing wrong."

I scratched my head. "So then what, Ryoji is actually Thanatos? It'd sure explain why Nyx was coming down..."

Igor shook his head. "No. He is not the Grim Reaper, though it seems he may somehow be related to him. Thanatos himself has been missing for quite some time, much to the concern of other deities of death and the Lord of the Underworld."

"...Well, that's comforting." I said. "But has anything like this happened before?"

"Outside of those who receive the Velvet Mark? No." he answered. "And even those who have the mark are only given a manifestation of their now-patron god's power when they have reached a proper level of maturity to wield it. Or at least, that is what normally happens. Barring your instance, it's never worth the headache to figure out the tricksters."

"Don't tell me; Loki?"

"More times than I can count." sighed Igor. "To say nothing of your own patron..."

"...How bad?"

"He seems to mainly attempt to thwart Loki's mischief with some of his own. I'm positive they don't like each other."

I had to stifle a laugh. "Anything recently besides me?"

"Surprisingly, no." he said. "You were the last person to receive his mark, and since then his activities have been something of an enigma to all but himself and a few select members of the Japanese Pantheon... and, before his disappearance, Thanatos."

-...Hrm.- "Anansi knows him?"

"Purportedly, yes. I don't know what he's been doing, but the amount of times he's appeared in Japan suggests something is going on."

"...And Japan is where the Dark Hour is centralized because of Tartarus. And with Nyx being mentioned... Hrm. Are those myths about Tartarus being where Nyx and some of her kids live fairly accurate?"

Igor nodded. "They were for a time. Nyx herself hasn't been seen in person for several millennia, though it is known she's taken to living somewhere with a good view of the stars according to Tsukuyomi and Ra."

"Hrm. What about Hypnos and Moros?"

"Quite concerned about their missing brother, to the point Hypnos has trouble sleeping." he said. "They know he yet lives, but cannot locate him."

-Hrm.- "I see... well, I guess I've got more to think about now, but back to my original question; Could I use that Persona to help Ryoji?"

Igor shrugged. "I do not see the harm in trying, so long as you abide by the terms of your contract."

"...You have no idea, do you?"

"Mainly because I do not know how you would potentially use this Persona to aid him."

"Fair point... but before I go, should I be concerned about any pantheons of deities turning up to mess with things? Like say, I dunno, the Egyptian one? Greek shit overlapped with them a lot..."

"Ra and the deities close to him have been rather subdued for the past five or so years, I believe." replied Igor, who turned to Elizabeth. "Do you remember why? I'm certain one of your siblings knew..."

"Margaret mentioned they've been dealing with something as quietly as possible." said Elizabeth. "They still maintain appearances when spoken to, but otherwise they have not been causing much in the way of trouble or otherwise... Isis in particular. It seems she's still bitter at Zeus."

"Because of that whole thing with Io and stuff?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Indeed. She found it quite rude and stupid of him. She and Hera have yet to let him live it down."

-...Why did I just title the sitcom like existence of the deities 'Everybody hates Zeus'?- "Alright then. Thanks, I'll come back later if I need more help."

"Have a pleasant day, Master Roy."

* * *

><p>As I found myself back in the mall though, I turned around and was facing a guy who was... surprisingly taller than I was.<p>

I blinked. "...Can I help you?"

"This the guy?" asked Jumbo, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah, that's the guy!" said another voice. One that I recall hearing before. "Asshole keeps beating us up for no reason!"

I arched an eyebrow as I looked past the big guy, seeing that the asshole from June was back. Again. "Says the guy who keeps starting things."

"Watch your tone, gaijin." growled the big guy, who actually managed to joist me off the ground by my jacket. "That's my little brother you're accusing."

"Not accusations if they're true." I retorted angrily. "And I'm not a god damn foreigner you moron!"

He threw me back, inadvertently tossing me back into the Velvet Room.

"Master Roy?" asked Elizabeth.

"No worries." I grumbled, getting back up. "I got this."

I bounced on my feet, then walked back out the door, standing up again back in the alley.

"Now, you gonna apologize or do I have to mess you up, gaijin?" growled the big guy. "You sure ain't gonna like that second option."

"And what stops you from roughing me up even if I do apologize?" I asked.

Jumbo just glared. "You'll just get hurt less."

"Mmhm." I said, looking past him again. "And, refresh my memory, what did I do to you again?"

"You attacked us at the back alley, and when we were helping that one girl in pink and the striped shirt guy!" he said, clearly lying through his teeth to keep big bro on his side. "We ain't done nothin' to you!"

I nodded. "Huh. Cuz the way I remember it, YOU attacked me first because I go to Gekkoukan High, you mugged my friend and tried to make her go out with you, and lastly you beat up my OTHER friend who is terminally ill while he was resting at the shrine. So yeah, no. Not sorry-"

Jumbo decked me across the face hard enough to send me smashing into the wall on one side of the alley, then bouncing back onto the ground.

-Jesus fuck that hurt!- I thought, trying to stop seeing stars long enough to get up.

"You calling my brother a liar?" he snarled. "Who do you think you are?"

"Roy Fortune..." I sputtered out as I got back up. I think I bit the inside of my mouth pretty hard when he hit me because I was tasting blood. "...Why do you ask?"

He kicked me in the chest and once again I was launched back into the Velvet Room.

"Master Roy, are you certain you're alright?"

"Yeah..." I groaned, getting up. "Asshole just decided to pick a fight right outside the door. I got this, don't worry."

Another exit and now Jumbo had his thick hand around my neck.

"You best start apologizing right now, gaijin."

I just glared. "Hard to... with neck crushed... dumbass..."

His response was to throw me to the ground at the feet of his little brother. I barely got to my knees before said little brother kicked me in the stomach.

"So where's that apology?" he asked, sounding oh so very cocky now that big bro was here.

I looked up at him as I got up enough to sit down. That friend of his who called me an Oni was there with him, surprisingly. He still looked wary, yet had an evil grin on his face. Probably because of his boss' brother kicking me around.

"Alright, alright..." I said, getting up. "...I'm..."

"Yes...?"

I kicked him right in the family jewels.

"...Not going to apologize to liars!"

Jumbo immediately punched me hard enough to send me sliding along the ground almost to the end of the alley that went out into the mall. I had to spit out a bit of blood because now I pretty clearly had a cut on the OTHER side of my mouth as well. Lovely.

"You made your last mistake, gaijin!"

I stood up again, switching around my active Persona.

"H-Hey, I-I'm not sure you should do that!"

Big guy now had a knife and was coming towards me. The smart one looked kinda scared, but then again I don't blame him.

I mean, if he thinks I'm an Oni, why not channel a Persona based off one? Kin-ki should do fine.

Jumbo swung, I caught his arm and twisted it right behind his back. I should mention his arms seem to be about as thick as large tree branches, by the way. He growled in annoyance, the knife dropping to the ground as he tried to wrench free.

"Let go!"

"Or...?"

"Or I'll call the cops on you, gaijin!"

I honestly felt my blood start to boil at that... almost like it had when I was fighting Ryoji. "Stop calling me that."

"Or what, gaijin?" he spat, looking at me over his shoulder. "You gonna quote anime at me?"

My body felt hot as I threw him to the ground, then tired to smash my elbow into his back. He rolled out of the way... but my arm hit the ground and there was a loud CRACK as the flooring splintered a little.

"H-HOLY SHIT!" screamed the smart one. "H-HE REALLY IS AN ONI!"

"Oh drop the bull-"

"Fuck you and your stupid ass, my great-grandmother had an eye for this thing and I ain't gonna disrespect the blood of hers in my veins!" snapped the Smart guy. "I'm out! Lie to your brother all you want, but I ain't having none of this no more!"

Smart guy just fucking BOLTED right past me as the big guy got helped up by his brother.

Unfortunately, Jumbo didn't listen and rushed at me again, snatching his knife off the ground as he did so. He tried to ram it into my gut, but well... between Kin-ki nullifying all kinds of physical attacks and the fact the only clean uniform jacket I had this morning was an armored one Elizabeth gave me, the knife kinda shattered. Jumbo backed up and looked at the now destroyed blade, then at me. I looked down at my coat. There was some metal fragments stuck to it, but the bigger ones were on the ground. I looked back up at him.

"My Uncle can probably fix that." I said casually. "He's a blacksmith over in Inaba."

"Wh...what the hell ARE you?" sputtered Jumbo.

"A half American Japanese teenager." I replied. "Why?"

He shook his head rapidly. "Y-You ain't normal! You ain't fuckin' normal at all!"

"Well I do say 'I reject your reality and substitute my own' sometimes..."

"I'm out, little bro!" said the big guy. "You pissed him off, you deal with the consequences!"

And then he bailed on his little brother, who just watched him leave, then looked at me in wide eyed fear.

I stared back for a moment. "...Boo."

He let out a shrill, girlish shriek and then sprinted past me as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. Call me crazy, but I don't think I'll have to deal with him again...

It was at that moment I noticed a rattling noise when I moved to pick up my hat. I looked around, but there was nobody in the alley but me and the Velvet Door. I moved to reach for my hat and I heard it again, but when I froze it faded. I arched an eyebrow, then moved my arm side to side. The rattling was coming right from my wrist, like I had a shackle on it with heavy chains. I picked up my hat and put it on my head, staring at my wrists.

"...The fuck is going on?"

"Okay, what the hell did you do?"

I turned around and Shinjiro, with Hamuko in tow, was marching down the alleyway towards me.

I blinked. "Eh?"

"I just saw three guys bolt past Changall like they just ran into a youkai." he said. "And I only know of one Oni in this city."

I blinked again. "...What?"

"What do you mean 'What'?" He asked. "I'm talking about you!"

"...WHAT."

"Roy-kun's an Oni?" asked Hamuko.

"What the hell do you MEAN I'm an Oni?" I demanded. "Are you high on cooking wine?"

Shinji started at me in genuine surprise. "You didn't know?"

"I don't even believe you!" I said. "There is no possible way fate conspired to put an Oni somewhere in my family tree!"

I would've kept ranting, but I got hit in the face with a broom. I just sorta stood there, then looked at Shinji funny.

"...Where did you get a broom?"

"I've had it on hand ever since I met you." he said. "Now stop yelling."

"Alright, but there is still no way in hell I'm an Oni."

Hamuko stepped up beside Shinji. "Yeah, I'm having trouble believing that as well..."

"Your grandparents live in Inaba, right?" he asked. "And your mom's brother?"

"...Yeah..."

"That's smack dab in the middle of youkai country." he said.

"How do you know?"

"One, my grandmother Keiko was a shrine maiden, and two, Daichi lives there."

I blinked. "...Oh god what." Then it dawned on me. "Wait, so then you're saying Uncle Kihei's an Oni? And my mom?"

"Your grandparents too probably." he stated. "Or at least one of 'em."

I stared at him again, this time for a solid ten seconds.

"You're fucking high."

"I can prove it."

"Daichi is not a credible witness to this!"

"Then call your grandparents."

"I don't have their numbers."

"Your uncle then."

I yanked out my phone. "He's gonna say the same thing, man. I'm telling ya."

"Just do it."

I dialed Kihei's number. "You're fucking high, man." I looked past him at his girlfriend. "Hamuko I'd go through his fridge at the dorm and make sure his cooking wine isn't expired, because he's high or drunk or SOMETHING."

"You'll see." Shinji said confidently.

A few rings, and then the other end picked up.

_["Well this is sudden."] _came my uncle's voice. _["Something happen, Roy?"]_

"Yeah, a friend of mine is saying mom's half of the family tree are Oni." I said. "Including me."

The pause that followed did so little to inspire confidence.

_["...Well, this is ah... a bit awkward."]_

"Please tell me he's high off expired cooking wine. PLEASE."

_["As much as it sounds like you want to hear that... no. He's right; Your grandparents, me, and your mother are Oni."]_

"...What."

_["Well, technically Masaru is only half Oni himself, but Tamiko is a full-blooded one. Akane and I would be three quarters."]_

My eye twitched. "...Excuse me, I need to go strangle Shinjiro Aragaki."

_["Good luck with that."]_

"...Why did I just hear Daichi?"

_["I'm fixing one of his swords at the moment and you're on speaker phone."]_

"...I'm hanging up now."

_["Call back if your arms still work."]_

I hung up the phone. "What the fuck."

Shinjiro just had a smug grin as he rested that broom over his shoulder. "Told ya."

"...Where were you even keeping that broom?"

"One of those cards you gave us to stash gear in." he said. "I used to keep it in my coat, but Mitsuru won't let me wear it to school."

My eye just kept twitching. "But you never thought to mention the Oni thing SOONER?"

"I'm amazed it took you this long to find out." He said honestly. "You'd think your grandparents would've said something."

"But you still never thought to compare notes with me then?"

He shrugged. "I'm used to sensing stuff like that, and seeing as you weren't smashing up parts of the city I figured there wasn't any reason to break your arms. Also, you're not allowed near my cooking wine."

"I hate booze!"

"...Huh." he hummed. "But yeah, you kinda just Oni rampaged there a bit."

"...So what, that one nutball saying I was an Oni wasn't just scared shitless of me?"

"He probably had a shrine keeper or monk somewhere in his family tree."

Hamuko just stared at us in confusion. "...So wait, then-"

"Only stereotypes." he said. "The only one I know of that's accurate is they like booze."

"I'm a terrible Oni then." I deadpanned.

"Not a bad thing."

"Man, I don't even care now." I groaned. "I'm a half Japanese demon, half American transfer student dating a robot in Japan while fighting monsters in a greek tower that spawns in a time paradox to save the world. My life could only be more anime if someone was yelling at you to get in a robot or masked heroes turned up."

"Hey, I like Evangelion."

I threw my arms up. "That's it, fuck all this shit, I'm done, I'm going back to the dorm and just clinging to Aigis until the normal amounts of insanity return to my life." I paused for a moment, then rubbed the side of my face before I started past Shinji and Hamuko. "Also until the insides of my mouth stop fucking bleeding..."

* * *

><p>True to my word, I spent the better part of the evening with Aigis while I calmed down and my mouth stopped hurting. Hamuko turned up to ask for Aigis' help with something Fuuka was up to, leaving me laying on my bed for about five minutes before there was a knock at the door.<p>

"It's open." I said, still staring at my ceiling.

The door opened and someone stepped into the room.

"...You okay?"

"Depends, Yukari." I replied. "I just found out today I'm not entirely human and neither is part of my family who neglected to tell me this sooner."

"...Maybe they didn't know how to tell you?"

I turned my head. "I dunno, you'd think 'hey, you're one of the least pleasant kinds of youkai to exist and so is your mom's half of the family' would be a pretty easy thing to break to someone way sooner."

"You do know what Oni are-"

"Yeah yeah, smash, destroy, and a few less wholesome things." I sighed. "It seems I at least have the smashing part down, since there's now a crack in the floor in Paulownia mall because of my elbow."

Yukari winced. "How big of one?"

"Like almost as big as my torso."

"...Just that?"

I shrugged. "Wasn't trying very hard."

"You never answered my first question, y'know."

"I guess... I'm kinda put out that I had to find this out from one of my best friends instead of someone in my family?" I said. "Like, I called up my uncle and he confirmed it, but not getting to hear it from him or someone I'm related to first was kinda... hard to swallow."

Yukari sighed, sitting down on the chair at my desk. "That is pretty bad..."

"You're not a youkai, are you?"

She let out a laugh and shook her head. "No, not that part. I mean the not getting told by your family about something part..." Her expression fell. "...I found out about some of my mom's bad habits that way..."

"Oh, ouch." I said, wincing. "Yeah, I can see how that'd royally suck."

"Not hard to imagine for anyone, I'd say..." Yukari sighed.

"In a switch from depressing topics though... how'd you get Isis?" I asked. "I mean, I know it was a resolution, but what exactly sparked it?"

She recoiled slightly. "You couldn't tell?"

"I read body language, not minds." I deadpanned.

Yukari giggled. "Right, sorry. But, well... Fuuka found the video of my dad. The real video."

"Before the doctoring? Lemme guess, confirmed Ikutsuki as a lying asshole?"

"Yeah." She said with a nod. "Dad... he really did try to stop it. It's even why they scattered in the first place..."

"Well to be fair to the man, I'd pick causing a time paradox over the end of the world." I said. "Even if he didn't know the Dark Hour would happen."

"He even said to leave them be, not to destroy them..." A heavy sigh escaped her. "...But if we hadn't, how many more people would have Apathy Syndrome...?"

I shrugged. "A lot more, no doubt about it. It's kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation; Leave the Shadows alone to cause Apathy Syndrome en mass, or destroy them and cause the Fall. Then again, we never got to make that call..."

"...What would you have picked if we did?"

"Fuck the Shadows and fuck the Fall, probably." I said. "The whole 'Oni' thing is putting a new light on a good chunk of my life choices now..."

"Doesn't mean you're not still you, Roy."

There was a long, sort of awkward pause as I just kinda stared at Yukari in stunned silence. During that time, my phone suddenly went of, startling me before I quickly fished it out of my pocket and answered it.

"Hello?"

_["Roy, are you okay?"]_

I blinked. "...Grandma Tamiko?"

_["Are you okay?"] _she repeated, sounding more than a little panicked.

"Uh... yeah...? Like I'm breathing and stuff..."

_["Kihei just told me someone said you were an Oni and you asked him about it."]_

"Yeah, I got to find that out from a close friend."

_["Daichi's younger grandson, right?"]_

"...I'm not even going to question how you know Shinji's family."

_["It's hard to avoid the notice of a shrine maiden, okay?"]_ she griped. _["Thankfully she was a kind soul and didn't try to purify me or Masaru..."]_

"How did you avoid that, anyways?" I asked. "Don't Oni have a reputation for being an unruly bunch and doing some less than pleasant things when they're not drinking booze and smashing up the countryside?"

_["The entitled morons responsible for THAT reputation have been dead for over two thousand years, Roy."]_ she said before a heavy sigh came over the line. _["...I'm sorry. After your mother and father died... we'd been debating how to tell you, but since the only signs you showed were your hair and that one instance of you lifting an engine block..."]_

"Shane never let me go near his buddy's auto body shop after that."

_["That doesn't surprise me, but again, with how little of your heritage you were showing, we'd partly been hoping it would never be a problem. I would've told you if I'd known you were in Inaba for that sports trip a few months ago."]_

"Kihei said you guys were outta town... what happened?"

_["Vacation. Okinawa was great, though I think your grandfather scared some tourists by accident when he yawned."]_

I had to stifle a laugh at that. "That's what he gets for looking like a lion... but, is there any signs I should worry about? And is hearing chains rattling when I move my hands around sometimes normal? And if the reputation Oni have isn't accurate, what DO they do?"

_["It's normal for the first half dozen or so times your strength manifests. And pretty much all the ones you hear about in myths would be comparable to the self-important, brainless jock bullies you see in high school drama shows and whatnot. Your grandfather is a good example of what the vast majority of Oni are like."]_

"So, loud and kinda goofy?"

_["And more than a little overconfident in his abilities at times."]_

"Isn't he only half Oni, though?" I asked. "What does that say about you?"

_["...I have my quirks, Roy."]_

"Like that room of random nick-knacks? And the halberds?"

_["You have one too, y'know! And so does your uncle."]_

"Kihei's is easy because artsy ass blacksmith. The hell kind of quirk do I have besides being magical?"

_["Your fascination with tarot cards and mythology. Your mother liked the color of gold."]_

"She wasn't greedy, though... at least not from what I remember about her."

_["Did you forget how everyone in the family has at least one gold statue they got from her as a gift?"]_

"...Okay, that kinda makes sense, but is there a rhyme or reason for it?"

_["Look at it more basically; Gold equates wealth, tarot is considered magical, and metalworking involves great strength. Some Oni are drawn to those sorts of things."]_

I blinked. "So wait, then half your nick-knacks are potentially magical? Even the cat statue?"

_["Especially that cat statue."]_

"...I'll take your word for it. But am I gonna get ripped as hell or grow horns or anything like that?"

_["No, no horns. You'd have to live among youkai for that to happen, and I get the feeling you like living among regular people."]_

"Magic demon energies to blame for that, I presume?"

_["Pretty much. Oh, uh, and please don't annoy any monks. Paper charms can hurt pretty bad."]_

"Shinji smacked me in the face with a broom earlier, does that count?"

_["...As long as he's not actively trying to maim you with it, no. I have a hunch that's the broom his grandmother had, and it's inscribed with wards to deal with any sorts of youkai."]_

"Oh great, now I have more reason to be terrified of the guy..." I groaned. "But what about the muscle mass problem?"

_["Won't happen either, but if you're hearing the sound of chain shackles rattling, then eventually you won't have to get irritated to do improbable feats of strength. Even for a Persona User, you'll be very physically strong... and do I wanna know what any of those reasons are?"]_

"Shinji's Persona is Vaisravana for one, for two he nearly killed me by standing in the same room as me when we first met, and for three Vaisravana gives him the ability to Earthbend like that Avatar cartoon minus the martial arts."

_["That second one I can probably explain. He's like his grandmother, and I'm guessing you two weren't on good terms at first?"]_

"I met him at the hospital while looking for his dopey friend with silver hair."

_["Oh, the wandering wolf. I do hope he's had some sense knocked into him... Daichi's mentioned a few times he's worried the kid's going to go wandering around fighting bears or something one of these days."]_

"That seems more like something I'd do... but knowing Akihiko, yeah I could see that happening."

_["Shinjiro was probably just wary of you at first, though... did he say anything about that?"]_

"Yeah, that he didn't have a problem with me once he was sure I wasn't going to pick up a bus and start smashing up the city with it. Not in those exact words, but you get the idea."

_["Okay, good... you feeling any better now?"]_

"Yeah... nice hearing from you again, too. I'll try to stop by Inaba again the next chance I get, okay?"

_["I'm gonna hold you to that, young man. I haven't seen you in person since you were eleven!"]_

I chuckled. "Alright, alright."

_["I have to go anyways... your grandfather's pestering the neighbor's secretary again."]_

"Tell him I said hi!"

_["I will. Bye Roy. Grandma loves you."]_

"Love you too. Later." I said before hanging up. "Well... my evening got less stressful from that."

"...Your family is strange, Roy."

I looked over at Yukari, who'd apparently decided to just sit quietly the whole time. "I don't think even being incapable of being weird in a normal way covers my family anymore. Plus you only heard half the conversation."

"I don't want to know the other half."

"It wasn't anything bad, Yukari." I laughed. "Just... kinda changed my perspective on things, y'know?"

She just rolled her eyes. "If you say so..."

"...Still. Thanks for that earlier..."

She smiled. "You're welcome. You help everyone a lot as it is... couldn't hurt to return the favor sometimes, right?"

I laughed. "Not unless you return the favor by hurting me."

**CRASH**

"FUCKING-"

_Thou shalt-_

"Spooky voices, please for the love of crispy fried bacon bits pick a less intrusive means of getting my attention! It's really getting annoying at this point!"

"Have those voices ever spoken to you besides telling you that you're better friends with people?"

I turned my head to glare at the ceiling. "Not once. I get the feeling it's not actually a two-way line with them."

"Hehe, maybe they're afraid of what you'll do to them if it was two way and you could get through to their boss."

"Good, because if I could get through to their boss I would punch him."

* * *

><p>Nothing worth mentioning happened after that, apart from me wondering if Ryoji knew I was an Oni while he was in my head. But considering things, at least taking the magic stack of paper he left on my desk the day he stopped by the dorm into account anyways, he probably didn't. His reaction's probably gonna be hilarious.<p>

Of course, the train of thought I had about how that would go was interrupted after school when I was suddenly yanked into the cooking club room and found Fuuka grabbing me by the shoulders and staring me in the face.

"...Yes?" I asked nervously.

"I need your help, Roy-kun."

"...With what?"

"Ryoji."

Eyebrow. "What about him? He's not going to say anything to us about Nyx till the thirtieth."

"N-No no, I don't mean about that!" she said, blushing and shaking her head. "I... ah..."

Fuuka buried her face in her hands I could not tell what she said.

"Come again?"

"I-I think I like him!" she exclaimed, her face red enough to shame the nuclear strands growing out of my head. "As in, a lot!"

I blinked. "...So my hunch that you might've had a thing for him wasn't actually wrong?"

"Y-YOU NOTICED?"

"TO BE FAIR!" I said, holding up my hands defensively. "Ryoji is not exactly the most subtle person out there. Ken still has that title." -I don't think he'll be losing it anytime soon, either.-

She rapidly shook her head. "B-But still! I-I don't know what to do!"

"Why are you asking me? Because he lived in my head?"

"Shinjiro-senpai and Hamuko-chan were talking about going to Hagakure after school..." she replied. "A-And well... y-you seemed like the best person to talk to about this sort of thing anyways..."

"I am not a love guru! My logic is simple; Do I like someone? Does being around them make me happy? Do they appear to enjoy being around me? Do I get flustered thinking about them? If yes to all of the above, there's some serious affection goin' on there."

"B-But what do I do after that?"

I threw my arms up. "Tell him you like him? I don't know! Aigis got advice from Hamuko, and that kinda boiled down to surprise making out with me."

"I-I can't do that!" She said, her face turning shades of scarlet I've never seen before. "At least... n-not here..."

"Then get him to go somewhere with you, duck out of sight with him, and apply a lip lock to him." I said. "I can't really give much better advice than that."

She squirmed a little. "W-Well... he did ask me for help picking out a laptop..."

"Then just don't break any computers." I said, a straight serious deadpan. "Like, honestly? Based on everything I know about him before that operation in November and since he popped up attending Gekkoukan? He's likely as shy as you are, if not moreso."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. And be glad you came to me; I'm pretty sure Shinji would've just locked you both in a closet like he did Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko."

Fuuka shivered. "W-Well, it worked for them..."

"But I get the feeling it wouldn't work as well with you two."

"N-No... probably not..." Her eyes lit up. "Oh, I should make some sweets for him too! He really likes cake."

"Mind if I help?"

"Oh, that would be great!" She said. "Ryoji said he was going to meet me after club anyways."

**CRASH**

_Thou-_

"Shush voices, I'm helping bake things."

* * *

><p>After the snacks were done, I ran interference for the horde while Ryoji and Fuuka got the hell away from the Gekkoukan Campus. I headed back to the dorm looking for Mitsuru, and I did manage to find her... and also Akihiko who was laying on the couch with his head on her lap. The both of them were reading books, but it was still kind of an odd sight in my opinion.<p>

"...Did I interrupt something?" I asked as I walked into the lounge.

Mitsuru looked over at me from her book for a second, a small smile on her face. "No no, we're simply doing our assigned reading homework. Did you need something?"

"Kinda." I said, walking over to the couch. "Two things, actually... you both got the memo about me, right?"

"Shinji brought it up after he first met you." replied Akihiko nonchalantly. "He was kinda leery about things until I mentioned how you reacted to him at the hospital."

"Oh, so he got the memo that being in the same room as me was potentially fatal to me?" I asked dryly. "Wonderful..."

"It could have been far worse, Fortune."

I sighed. "Yeah yeah, I know..." I paused. "Wait a fucking second, you both knew as well?"

"Of course." stated Mitsuru, flipping a page in her book. "We assumed you knew and didn't wish to potentially provoke you."

"And I know this sounds hypocritical, but you never once thought to compare notes on that matter? I'd think it'd be kinda important to know if the local demon actually KNOWS he's a demon!" I pointed out.

Akihiko scoffed. "You'd be surprised at how little that sort of thing matters sometimes. Besides, you weren't smashing up the place... and Shinji apparently called up his Grandfather to check on things."

"Well that doesn't surprise me considering my grandmother apparently met the guy." I said. "...How well did the others take it?"

"Iori declared himself the right hand man to your shonen protagonist, Yamagishi exclaimed it explained one of the several odd readings you apparently gave off, Yoshino was musing about your 'aura', and Yukari and Koromaru had to keep Amada from coming after you with a toy Featherman weapon to determine if you were on the side of justice or not."

"...I think it's a bad time to finally realize we're an incredibly strange group of people living in the same building."

"Mmhm." hummed Akihiko, flipping a page in his book. "But what was the other thing you wanted to ask?"

"You two holding up okay?"

Mitsuru gave me an odd look. "Pardon?"

"I mean with everything that's been going on since November." I said. "Between the day after the last Operation and Ryoji's ultimatum... we're not exactly having the best end of the calendar year."

"...All things considered, it could have gone far worse." she admitted, absentmindedly placing a hand on Akihiko's head. "It was a close call for Father, but thankfully he's still with us..."

I hummed. "Speaking of your parents, have you mentioned to them that you guys are a thing yet?"

The both of them went stock still, and their faces turned red in perfect unison.

-...Whoops.- "...Too personal of a question?"

"...N-No..." Mitsuru replied. "But... they were apparently surprised that we didn't have that close of a relationship already."

"Her mom laughed when we told her what Shinji did." added Akihiko, hiding his face behind his book.

I just arched an eyebrow. "And people have said me having a thing for Aigis was obvious? I called it all the way back in April!"

"...I saw that in your journal." said Mitsuru. "Would you have really eaten a sofa cushion if you found out we didn't have feelings for each other?"

"Man, by the time we got to Kyoto I'd have eaten three."

"...That can't be good for your diet." she commented. "Oni or not..."

I shrugged. "It wasn't literal until around August, and it was only two cushions then."

Mitsuru chuckled weakly. "I see... but, I suppose it was our own fault for taking as long as we did..."

"...Yeah..." agreed Akihiko, an oddly forlorn look in his eyes.

"...Somethin' bugging you?"

He looked at me. "Huh? Oh, no... just a little hard on myself for not saying something sooner..."

"Well, on the bright side, you're a far more normal person than I am." I commented. "Even with your quirks."

Mitsuru let out something between a stifled giggle and a snort. "You'd be surprised, Fortune."

"...I'm not sure I wanna know."

"So, why'd you want to check on how we were doing?"

I shrugged. "I had to play love guru again earlier today, so call me paranoid."

"...Again?"

"Junpei asked for some advice a while back." I said. "Fuuka asked me for some today..."

Mitsuru arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah... apparently she's got a thing for Ryoji."

I had to resist the urge to yank out my phone and snap pictures of Mitsuru and Akihiko's faces.

"Well... he does seem much closer to a human than a Shadow, so I don't see any complications beyond the incident that comes from this... But it's certainly unexpected..."

"And potentially tragic." I noted. "I checked in the Velvet Room for ways to help Ryoji, but Igor didn't know any. I'm possibly one of the only people who could help him out of his situation."

"Possibly?" asked Akihiko. "You're the only one who can go into that place..."

"Yes, but Tenshi Kirijo still vastly outstrips me in overall knowledge about Shadows, as would any over of the Atma Project scientists." I pointed out. "And since I'm currently assuming you let your parents know how messed up the situation is, I'd wager your mom is probably trying to find a 'get out of apocalypse free' card sort of option."

Mitsuru chuckled. "Yes, I have informed them of the situation. Mother was quite verbal in her frustration."

"How verbal?"

"I've never heard anyone link so many inappropriate words into coherent sentences in my entire life."

I bit back a laugh. "Can't say I blame her for that reaction... but still. If somebody can't find a loophole or similar such thing, Fuuka's probably going to be more than a little upset come the New Year's Eve..."

"What exactly did you talk to those people in the Velvet Room about?" asked Akihiko. "Considering how much you had written down about them knowing, I find it kinda hard to believe they couldn't help at all."

"Igor said it wouldn't be impossible, but he doesn't know how I'd be able to use Thanatos to help Ryoji."

Mitsuru gave me an odd look. "How would a Persona be able to help?"

"Well, Ryoji gave it to me." I said. "And from what Aigis wrote about what happened to me, Thanatos acted on its own to save me from my Shadow. He said it was to watch out for me, since at the time he was leaving... to..."

I stopped as a realization came over me.

"...Holy fucking shit."

"What?"

"Nyx! Nyx is the Grandmother Pharos was talking about!"

Akihiko sat up. "The hell do you mean by that?"

"Igor said the only way I would be able to summon the version of Thanatos I have would be if Thanatos himself or someone directly connected to him gave it to me, like how Anansi is the source of me being a Wild Card." I told them. "Which means if Pharos gave me Thanatos, he's connected to Nyx directly and thus Thanatos because he's a child of Nyx."

"So what, you had the child of the Greek god of Death sealed in you for ten years?" asked Mitsuru. "That's impossible. No deities were encountered in the experiments that created the Death shadow."

"But what if they didn't KNOW they met a deity?"

Akihiko scoffed. "I'd think it'd be hard to miss meeting a god."

"Well, I somehow failed to notice I was an Oni for sixteen years." I pointed out. "Plus since I doubt the Kirijo Group back then was looking for a deity directly anyways. Something powerful enough to be mistaken for a hyper powerful Shadow would've been just what they wanted."

Mitsuru hummed. "This is true... Mother and Father have admitted to not fully understanding what my Grandfather was thinking. They believe the death of my grandmother played a part in his decent into madness..."

"...So he became fatalistic after potentially intending to create and use a time machine to save his wife?"

"It's entirely possible, but we have no way of knowing now."

"Harsh..." I commented. "But that still leaves the question of what happened to Thanatos himself. Igor said the guy's been missing for years to the point death-related deities the world over are concerned and one of his siblings is still losing sleep."

"Maybe he died?" Akihiko offered. "I mean, Gods die in some myths. Like Izanami."

I shook my head. "Nah, he's not dead. That's about the only thing that IS known about what happened to him."

"Did they tell you how long Thanatos has been missing?"

"Nope, just that it's been a while." I replied. "But if part of Thanatos was used to create Ryoji, then that would mean we ARE dealing with the Greek Nyx. After all, if he gives off the aura of one of her kids and calls out to her, she'd probably show up looking to see what the fuss is about."

"And since they meant for Nyx to end the world, he'd be forced to tell her that he's upset..." said Mitsuru. "And being a mother, she would do everything in her power to make him happy again."

"Even if it required her to wipe out all life..." Akihiko added with a grim tone. "...I'll admit, as far as 'Destroy the World' plots go, using a fake version of a deity's kid to cause it is inventive if nothing else."

I shrugged. "Yeah, kinda. It's just a massive pain in the ass to fix."

Mitsuru sighed as Akihiko laid his head back down on her lap. "Indeed... but, I am impressed, Fortune."

Eyebrow. "With what?"

"You came to check on us. Was it because you were worried, or did your earlier instance of giving relationship advice make you decide to continue with being a match maker?"

"I was worried, senpai." I sighed. "This is some serious shit we're being forced to deal with, and you two are among the sanest heads in SEES. Making sure you're both holding up okay, even if you have to hold each other to do it, is pretty damn important."

Akihiko gave me a look over the edge of his book. "If we're some of the most level headed, why are you worried?"

"Well, given how you both have kinda poor social skills, there's the possibility something could go wrong." I said. "Though admittedly, you've known each other longer than I've know you, so maybe I'm just overly paranoid."

"You sound like Shinji."

"Don't tell me, he said something similar before locking you both in that closet?"

They started blushing again, Akihiko hiding his face behind his book.

"...Something like that." Mitsuru replied, pointedly NOT looking at me. "Still, thank you. I don't suppose I can count on you to check on the others, can I?"

"Of course you can." I said, standing up and adjusting my hat. "Like I said in October, come hell or high water I'm gonna do my damnedest to get everybody through this in one piece."

"You got your work cut out for you, y'know."

I scoffed. "Never said it would be easy, just that I was going to do everything to make sure it happens. If that involves picking up a bus and throwing it at a god, so be it."

**CRASH**

"GAH! Fucking hell, stop doing that!"

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Empress and Star Arcanas..._

"How are you not used to that yet?"

"They're coming more rarely these days, so that might have something to do with it..."

* * *

><p>I spent the better part of the next few days checking on everyone sporadically to see if they were holding up okay despite the impending doom. For the most part, they were, even if it was pretty clearly bothering them all; Junpei especially, though he didn't say anything. Once the tenth rolled around, the lot of us were gathered in the lounge. It'd been a week since Ryoji dropped that bomb on us, so now was the time to talk about it again.<p>

"...So, what are we going to do?" asked Yukari. "We have to pick something..."

Fuuka fidgeted in her seat. "...I don't know. I've been trying to not think about it as much as possible."

I winced, as did Akihiko and Mitsuru.

"Have you decide what to do, Akihiko-senpai?"

"I know I'm not going to run away." he answered. "But... other than that, no Ken, I haven't. Even if Nyx isn't some kind of god, there's still the possibility of it being something undefeatable. What about the rest of you? What are your thoughts on this?"

"I'm not going to hurt Ryoji." said Fuuka with absolute certainty. "But... I think we all agreed on that last week..."

Chidori nodded slowly. "He doesn't even want to cause all of this... it would be wrong to punish him for it. As for me... I'd rather fight than just stand around, waiting for the end to come. I finally have a life again, and I'm not going to let it be taken from me again."

"What about you, Junpei?" asked Yukari. "Have you decided?"

"...No."

"Why not? Are you scared?"

"The hell do you mean by that?" he snapped, suddenly standing up. "You think this is some kinda joke?"

Yukari recoiled. "No! What's gotten into you?"

"We're all going to die, that's what!" He shouted. "I'm scared out of my goddamn mind! We're looking DEATH in the face right now!"

"That's not a reason to jump down Yukari's throat for asking an honest question." Shinjiro growled.

Mitsuru, however, just gave Junpei a pointed look. "Then what do you want to do about it? Do you want to kill him?"

"There's nothing I can do even if I did want to kill him." he spat, gesturing to me. "He's probably the only one who could do it anyways..." he paused, then turned to me. "Come to think of it, it's all your damn fault! You had that thing inside you all this time, so YOU should do something about it! You're supposed to be 'special', right-"

I shot to my feet and grabbed Junpei by the collar of his shirt, pulling him towards me so we were face to face.

"What the flying fuck do you think I've been trying to do between making sure everyone's head is on straight?" I snarled, very much aware Shinjiro, Aigis, and Chidori were on there feet as I stared down my best friend. "Goofing off? Ignoring it? Shoving crayons up my nose? Fuck no! I've been exhausting every single goddamn option I can think of to fix this fucking mess because god damn it, I'm not going to fucking let anyone die like this! We're not going to be squashed like a fucking bug by a god or Shadow or whatever the hell is coming towards us!"

"Then why don't you have anything to show for it?" He growled.

I'll admit, I probably shouldn't have punched him as hard as I did when he said that.

"I'M NOT A FUCKING MIRACLE WORKER!" I roared, Shinjiro and Aigis holding my arms so I didn't try and swing again while Hamuko and Akihiko held back Junpei. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME, JUNPEI? I'M SCARED SHITLESS, SAME AS YOU!"

"Then you're not trying hard enough!" shouted Junpei, a wild look in his eyes. "You've got a fucking god on speed dial! Get them to do something if you can't!"

"IT DOESN'T BLOODY WORK THAT WAY!"

"ROY LAWRENCE FORTUNE, CALM DOWN."

I blinked, then my head slowly turned towards Aigis. If I was angry a minute ago, then Aigis was the living incarnation of the sun.

"Shouting isn't going to solve anything." she said sternly. "Now sit back down."

I stared at her for a second, then sighed. "...Alright."

"What, just like that?" snapped Junpei, still pissed off. "I'm not done with you yet!"

"Junpei, you have three seconds to shut your mouth or you'll be pulling yourself out of a wall three blocks from here."

Every head turned towards Chidori, who had a glare that left no room to argue aimed at Junpei.

"I mean it." she growled. "Now take a seat."

The wind had dropped out of Junpei's sails, though he still looked disgruntled as he sat back down. Chidori parked herself on his lap, clearly intending to not move until this whole conversation was over.

"Getting angry with each other will not help our situation." Mitsuru said pointedly. "But considering all our experiences up to now, I believe the only path we should take is obvious."

"And that is...?"

"We fight." she replied. "Unless another solution presents itself, it's likely our best option."

"Can't argue with that." said Shinjiro. "If the options are 'fight a god' or 'die', I'll take my chances fighting a god."

Hamuko sprang to her feet, a determined look on her face. "Yeah! Let's punch a god in the face and challenge our fate!"

"You sound like Roy-kun..."

"My mom actually says that." giggled Hamuko. "I always thought it was cool so I wanted to get to say it myself."

I laughed. "And here I thought I had a weird family..."

"Half of your family are Oni and the other half wrestle bears, Roy."

"Hamuko's mom sent her a naginata for her birthday, your argument is invalid!"

* * *

><p>After the meeting was call, I apologized to Junpei for potentially knocking some of his teeth loose. He told me not to worry about it because he was being kind of unreasonable. Fear does that to people, I suppose. Of course, the fact we had exams coming up turned out to be something of a blessing; We got focused on studying instead of on what was all happening. Of course, I had an idea about halfway through exams, so the night of the final day of exams, I got everyone to come to Tartarus.<p>

"Why're we back here?" asked Hamuko as we stepped out onto an empty guardian floor high up in the tower. "Didn't we get up as far as we can go?"

"Yes, but!" I said, spinning on my heels. "I had an idea."

Shinjiro arched an eyebrow. "And that is?"

"Simple!" I said, punching my fists together as my fuzzy mittens covered my hands. "High Impact Sparring!"

I was surprised when the only person actually giving me an odd look was Akihiko.

"...Why?" asked the boxer. "What good is sparring with each other gonna do?"

"Well, it keeps us from getting rusty, plus it gives us the chance to learn from each other more directly." I pointed out. "And we can adapt things we learn into our own styles, thus giving us more options in combat."

"I'll admit, that's actually a very creative solution." said Mitsuru. "We'll need every tool at our disposal to fight Nyx if it comes to that."

Ken raised a hand. "But what about Shinjiro? He's really strong, so we might get hurt really bad."

"My idea, so I'll spar with him first." I replied. "Anansi resists strikes."

Shinjiro just grinned and cracked his knuckles. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah. I'm honestly more surprised only Akihiko is looking at me like I'm insane."

"Alright, so did you want to get started?"

"Sure, once everyone squares off with- OH GOD SHINJI NOT THE FACE!"

* * *

><p>And that night, I learned what true regrets are. Also that Oni strength applies to my bones as well so my face and teeth didn't collapse from that punch.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - I have been holding in on that Roy being an Oni thing since about... Oh, I wanna say halfway between the Hermit and Fortune/Strength fights. Certainly explains his insanity magnetism, doesn't it? Mwehehehe.


	32. Countdown

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**EmD23** - I know about all that, but I've taken to not really caring since the version of the Persona Universe seen in Reshuffled is a vastly different beast compared to the canon one. It IS the real deal deity Nyx bearing down on SEES, but... well, how the whole thing with her is gonna go down is gonna be one of those things you'll have to wait and see!

**Overlord Duelist -** On one hand, that would be cool. On the other hand, my brain just made Aigis, Metis, and Labrys dress up as Sailor Scouts with Roy as Tuxedo Mask. Thanks for that. :I

**A Jack Frost Guy** - Oh what happened with Thanatos should be pretty obvious if you look back at stuff related to Pharos. If you figure it out though, keep it to yourself! I don't wanna ruin the surprise for anyone else... Mwehehehe...

**FoolsSin** - Man Adachi is gonna be the LEAST of Rusei's worries come Golden Moon.

**Metro555** - Anansi has known Roy was part Oni since he first saw him. It's part of why he found Roy so amusing! And yes, more Touhou jokes will happen. Just wait till Roy finds the last 'Artifact' for Elizabeth! It's in the Adamah Block of Tartarus, and trust me, you'll know it when Roy mentions it.

**SwiftwyndTheHero** - Roy will never, ever go near booze and truth be told, Touhou is technically canon to Reshuffled. Or did you miss Shou Toramaru talking to Anansi earlier in the story? And good eye, you may have actually found a plot thread with that connection of yours! What it is, I can't say until after the Reshuffled cast gets to Monad. Also yes, Katsuro will turn up in Golden Moon. So will some other characters you might not be expecting. Mwehehehe...

**adsgvf** - HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS PLANNING THAT GET OUT OF MY HEAD

**Thenextgamer** - I'M NEVER DEAD! Just stop singing praise for the original AFNF please it's tERRIBLE AND NEEDS TO BURN AAAAAAAAAA

**FrozenxRose** - Psh man this version of P3 may as well be called "Persona 3: Nobody Dies" or some shit like that. I have plans within plans going on here! MWAHAHAHA!

Yada yada still more thanks to Puppeteer of Hearts, Ella Lucarita, and ScarfDrilbur for helping me get motivated to actually write! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"Roy, this is one of those times where I can't tell if you're a genius or a complete idiot."<p>

"Well, they say genius and insanity go hand in hand..."

"I don't think that applies when your hand is broken."

I scoffed. "Says you."

"Says the fact your girlfriend is carrying you home!"

"He has a point, Roy." Aigis said, adjusting her grip on me. "Truth be told, I'm surprised you could still move after you sparred with him."

"Very little surprises me anymore." I said, resting my chin on Aigis' shoulder.

Akihiko gave me a look. "And you say I'm extreme with training? You still sparred with everyone else at least once after you fought Shinji!"

"Persona switching is nice."

"...Fortune, are you certain that blow to your head wasn't serious?"

"Very. I'm just feeling silly right now."

Junpei shook his head. "I worry about you sometimes, Roy. Between how you react to everything and the stuff you do... I'm kinda worried you're going a bit crazy. Like, the not funny kind."

"I think you're overly paranoid."

"I'm being serious, man." he said. "I'd prefer if my best friend didn't go Flandre Scarlet on us."

"...How would I do that?" I asked, looking at him and arching an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm powerful, but... like, do you really think it'd be possible for someone whose main strength comes from having friends to go mental without having to be completely isolated from everyone important to them?"

"And what's to stop you from going nuts if you can't help us?" countered Hamuko.

I pointed at Shinjiro. "The day something manages to survive your boyfriend for more than five minutes is the day that will happen."

"Roy, I'm not a good measure for the lengths it would take to drive you to madness."

"And yet he hasn't started displaying enough traits to arouse concern until recently." Mitsuru noted. "Between the events of last month, the revelation of what Mochizuki is and what he is meant to do, along with discovering he wasn't what he thought he was for most of his life, it's a wonder he hasn't already lost his grasp on sanity."

I hummed, wrapping my arm back around Aigis. "Must be better adjusted to things than I think I am."

"Or your own nature prevents things from disturbing you." commented Chidori. "You're part youkai, so what is supernatural for most is perfectly normal for you even if you didn't know till recently."

"A thing you gotta remember, his Shadow kept talking about stuff he was scared of right near the end." said Shinjiro, rejoining the conversation. "The whole reason we had to fight it was because Roy didn't want to admit he was scared we wouldn't want anything to do with him if we found out all the details about how his power works."

"So you think Roy-kun would only go crazy if he lost... us?"

Shinjiro shrugged. "Can't say I know all his buttons, but that'd probably be one of 'em. Then again, you could say the same about any of us; take away people important to us or even threaten to, and whatever did better hope it can run faster than we can."

Akihiko scoffed. "Nothing's going to get away from me if it hurts you guys."

"Especially not if it hurts Mitsuru?"

"Yeah-" He paused, then glared at me. I just grinned.

"Not gonna lie, I couldn't resist."

"He makes it obvious enough you'd need to be blind and deaf to not notice anyways..."

A few heads turned to Ken, who suddenly looked a bit confused.

"What?" he asked. "He does!"

"Shinji what are you teaching him?"

"I didn't do a damn thing, he learn that on his own, Hamuko."

Koromaru barked a couple times.

"Koromaru says Shinjiro-san is not lying; Ken-san has been observing all of us."

"I think we might wanna tone down the sass a bit then." I commented. "We're all bad influences on his easily swayed young mind."

"...And you're CERTAIN you didn't hurt your head?"

"Too late even if he did."

-I can't deny I'm proud of Ken. The sass is strong in this one.-

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana..._

"Bad news, Mitsuru."

"...What is it?"

"The spooky voices were amused."

Mitsuru's frustrated sigh in response to that was more entertaining than it should have been.

* * *

><p>We ended up working out what days before New Year's Eve we were gonna spar on the way back to the dorm. To my own surprise, I woke up kinda early the next day, so I headed out to the Shrine. Akinari and I were talking for a while about the story he was writing, but he wasn't feeling well again so he left to head back to the hospital. At least he had a warm coat to wear so he didn't make his condition worse. I got part of the way back to the dorm from the Shrine when I ran into Shinjiro, surprisingly enough. He said he was on errands, but he paused for a sec then asked me to come with him. Said he had something to talk about. I didn't have a clue what it was, especially not once we entered a graveyard.<p>

"...Hey, Shinji?"

"Yeah?" he said over his shoulder.

"Mind if I ask why we're here?"

Shinjiro stopped, then turned towards a pair of graves. "...I wanted to say 'hi'."

I arched an eyebrow as I looked at the graves myself.

Kimiko Aragaki. Sadao Aragaki.

-...Oh.-

"...Hey." he said quietly, kneeling down and placing the flowers he'd bought on the way here on his mother's grave. "Sorry it's been so long. Stuff came up, y'know?"

I swear I could hear his parent's half of the conversation as he sat there for a few seconds.

"I'm doing okay. So's Aki. Still kinda wild when it comes to protein, but... well, not a lot I can really do about that." he chuckled wryly. "Oh yeah, and uh... this is Roy. Y'know, the crazy Oni I told you about? Not nearly as bad as I was afraid he'd turn out."

"Do I even wanna know?"

"Probably not." Shinji said over his shoulder. "But... yeah, he's a good guy. Aki actually listens to him, believe it or not."

He paused again, and I thought I heard someone laughing... or maybe it was two people. Either way, kinda creepy.

"I know, it's a miracle, right?" Shinji chuckled, shaking his head lightly. "I still remember all the times you gave Aki lumps to keep him from literally inhaling pancakes, pops." He went quite for several moments. "...I meant to come by on dad's birthday, but... well, I was in the hospital. Took a real nasty hit to protect a friend, so... worth it in the end."

On one hand, I'm wondering if I'm hearing things. On the other, I absolutely would NOT be surprised to know talking to the souls of the departed is possible at this point.

"Oh, uh... I met someone." He continued. "Nice girl. Kinda bossy and a huge idiot, but... I guess it's probably like how you and mom met. Only she has pink hair and can swing around a naginata with the best of 'em. Her name's Hamuko."

I jumped slightly as I absolutely swear to god I heard a high-pitched squeal of delight.

"Take it easy ma, you're freakin' Roy out. I'd have brought Hamuko along today, but... well, she was still out cold when I left." laughed Shinji. "But yeah... I'm okay now. It... wasn't really pretty there for a while, but I'm okay. I'm gonna get better, I promise. Ain't gonna be easy, but... well, I don't think giving up is an option I can take even if I wanted to. Especially not with Asami in town... Heh, that reminds me... she's called me by your name a couple times, pops. Guess I take after you, huh?"

There was silence for a minute before he lowered his head.

"...I really miss you guys. But, hey? Can you do me a favor? See if you can find an Oni lady and her husband with the last name 'Fortune'. They're Roy's parents, so... maybe you guys can get along okay."

I didn't even realize I'd started smiling a little at that comment until Shinji got back to his feet.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" he said. "Later pops... later ma."

"...You okay?"

He nodded. "...Yeah. Just... been a while since I stopped by last."

"You sure?"

Another nod. "Yeah."

"...Alright then."

"...What's with that face?" he asked as the two of us started to walk out of the cemetery.

Eyebrow. "What face?"

"That really deep, contemplative one you're making."

"...Guess part of me is still surprised how close you were to your parents." I said. "I only remember one or two things about mine that weren't told to me by someone else after the accident."

"...It might just me being sentimental. I got it from my mom's family..." he took his pocketwatch out. "...Probably why Katsu wanted me to have her watch."

"Smart call, really." I commented. "It stopped a bullet."

Shinji let out a chuckle. "Not an especially powerful one, but yeah..." He opened the watch, holding it towards me so I could see the picture inside it. "I'm just glad it didn't damage the photo."

"...Goddamn." I said, looking between the picture and Shinji. "You take after your dad something FIERCE, man."

"Kinda why I don't hold it against Asami for calling me by his name." He commented, closing the watch and putting it away. "...Wonder what my folks would think of some of the choices I've made; You kept me some doin' some really stupid shit when you stepped up about everything with Ken."

I shrugged. "Stuff like that happens when you're the kind of guy who pays attention to what people say and do. Honestly, I'm scared to imagine what would've happened if I was just some inattentive jackass more interested in banging the female student body of Gekkoukan or a near-perpetually angry little shithead who somehow never got called on his bullshit."

"...You think about strange stuff, Roy."

"Mostly to pass the time, but yeah."

"I could probably tell you what I think would've happened if you hadn't called that meeting at all, though." said Shinji. "I'd have met Ken in that alley we met at back in June when Fuuka was missing... and let him kill me."

"...As morbid as it sounds, I could actually see you do that and not even flinch."

"Yeah, but... that's how I felt. That I had to give up everything in order to make amends... Pa was the same way." His expression turned grim. "...He ran back into the fire to try and save Ma and Aki's sister. Didn't hesitate in the slightest, even though Katsu was holding me back from trying to go after him. Probably didn't even care he might've died trying; if he saved Ma and Miki... that would've been enough for him."

"Heh... sounds like something you'd do."

He let out a weak laugh. "Yeah... family resemblance is deeper than just my looks."

"Honestly? Apart from you being willing to just throw your life into the metaphorical fire, I think your folks would be proud of you."

Shinji gave me a surprised look. "...Really?"

"Yeah. I don't think there's a person alive who would hold you having a panic attack against you. Or how you handled the aftermath. Granted, I probably could've been less confrontational about calling you on it with how little I knew back in June..."

"Oni don't like dishonesty, and I wasn't willing to share the truth, so..."

I laughed. "Probably part of why I don't like rumors then. But seriously, the fact that you were willing to try to make amends, even before you resolved to just let yourself be killed, that takes a lotta guts."

"Heh... guts. With how often Aki was getting onto me about running away, I didn't really think I had any." he said. "Didn't know if I really was a coward for leaving once I lost control or just smart... maybe both. Guess they kinda go hand in hand sometimes."

"Much like genius and insanity." I noted, patting him on the shoulder. "But you powered through it all, on your own or with help from the people around you."

"...Y'know, it's kinda funny." he began with a sad chuckle. "How I'd just push people away while trying to make sure they weren't in over their heads. Guess I've always just been more comfortable supporting others than letting them support me."

I shrugged. "Nothing wrong with that, but ya gotta remember you still have someone you can lean on if you need to."

"Old habits die hard, and this is one I've had for a long time... dunno how easy it'll be for me to get the message."

"I'd say you've already made a lot of progress since I first met you."

He laughed. "Hamuko's to blame, then..." he paused. "Actually..."

"What?"

"Fuck, where did I put it?" grumbled Shinji as he fumbled around his pockets. "I know I brought it with me..."

"Loose something?"

"Nah, not this- AHA!" he shouted, pulling something out of his coat. "Found the damn thing."

I arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Well... it's kinda like a talisman." he said, offering a small, oddly bird shaped charm to me. "Grandma taught me how to make 'em when I was younger, but when the Persona stuff started up I stopped. Didn't know how it'd effect the shrine keeper stuff, but once I figured out it didn't, I've been practicing."

I took the charm and looked at it. "Huh... neat- ...Wait, this says 'Good health' and 'luck' on it. Dude, seriously?"

"Hey, you never know what might help." He laughed. "Between whatever Nyx is and everything else that's probably going on, every little bit could tip things in our favor."

I looked at the charm, then shook my head and slipped it into my pocket. "Yeah, I guess. Here's hoping the Buddhist hoo-ha you did to make it doesn't have side effects on Oni..."

"...How'd you know my family is Buddhist?"

I turned to him in confusion. "...I didn't?"

"Guess that means it works then."

**CRASH**

"FUCKING- Goddamn it!"

"What?"

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"Spooky voices. Seems we've hit their arbitrary friendship cap now."

_The bond thou has nurture hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Moon Arcana has been set free..._

"I wonder if I could hit them with the broom..."

"Probably not."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Hades, the Ultimate form of the Moon Arcana..._

"HA!"

"What?"

"So, our BFF status means I can summon Hades now."

"The King of the Underworld? Nice."

"I should mention Hamuko's lets me summon Persephone, his wife."

"...WHAT."

"You heard me, dude."

"...I really wanna hit those fuckin' voices with the broom now."

"You're blushing."

"DON'T CARE."

"By the way, did you hear anything odd?"

"What, voices talking about untapped power or something like that? They were yammering while you were."

"Oh good, I'll have more reason to be scared of you soon."

"You're a strange guy, Roy. Even for an Oni."

* * *

><p>Shinji and I kept talking on the way back after we picked up some stuff from the grocery store. I spent a few hours working on homework before Koromaru wanted me to take him for a walk. I was kinda surprised Fuuka came along, though. Mainly because of the serious expression she was making.<p>

"...Something on your mind, Fuuka?" I asked as Koromaru trotted along between us.

"...Yeah..." she admitted quietly. "...I wanted to ask about your Journal."

-M'kay...- "What about it?"

"...Did he really say those things?"

Eyebrow. "Did who say what things?"

"Ryoji. When he was still Pharos, I mean..." she replied. "Did he... really say those things about me...?"

-Oh, that...- "Yeah. I left every conversation I had with him unchanged unless he was talking about something personal in relation to someone else I'd been talking with."

"...So... even while he was trapped... he felt that way about me...?"

Koromaru made a confused whine as we stopped walking.

"I guess?" I said, scratching the back of my head. "I mean, if you really wanna get technical, he's eleven at best, not sixteen. But at the same time, there's varying levels of reality warping shenanigans going on since he managed to pass himself off as a high schooler. Guess maybe him getting stuffed into my head when I was six gave him kind of a head start on mental growth or something, I couldn't tell ya how it works."

"...I see..." she murmured. "But, still... I... I never though someone would say things like that about me..."

"Why not?" I asked, starting to walk towards the Shrine again.

Fuuka blushed faintly and turned her head slightly away from me. "I... never really thought of myself as someone pretty."

I blinked. "How? Like in all seriousness, I'm AMAZED you have a nice a figure as you do when you're not exactly the most physically active person I know. Is your metabolism fast?"

She shook her head. "N-No, but um... I do yoga stretches every night before I go to sleep."

"Huh... okay, that would KINDA explain it..." I admitted. "Plus you don't eat a lot..."

She giggled nervously. "I try to eat healthy a lot, too..."

"...That would actually explain some of your attempts at cooking before Shinji insisted on teaching you." I commented. "You were trying to make the stuff healthier, right?"

"Yes, I was." she said proudly. "I've gotten better at it with Shinjiro-senpai's help, too!"

"Nice."

Fuuka just smiled for a moment before her expression fell, a heavy sigh escaping her. "...I wish there was something more I could do to help him." She let out a weak, sad laugh. "If only our lives really were an anime... then maybe the power of love could save him."

My thoughts came to a screeching, grinding halt as a realization dawned on me. "...Fuuka, you're a genius."

"Huh?"

"That's how we can help Ryoji!" I said, looking at her. "You know how he left Thanatos in my head, right?"

"Yes..."

"Well, if he left it there on purpose, and it was sentient enough to save my ass from my Shadow, PLUS the amount of Shadow hax in place to get him into Gekkoukan, then I might at least be able to get his mind out of the body he's currently in by using Thanatos!" I said. "And if I can get him back into my head and inside something I can summon, I could then get help from Igor and Margaret to get him a NEW body so even if we really CAN'T avoid Nyx coming, he can help us stop her once she shows up!"

Fuuka stared at me in a mixture of awe and confusion. "...What sort of anime did you watch growing up, Roy-kun?"

"Would you believe me if I said Sailor Moon?" I asked. "Because I totally did and have no shame in admitting it."

"...But, would your plan even work?"

"I have no idea, but we've gotten this far basically flying by the seats of our pants, so why the hell wouldn't it?" I answered. "And I can go heckle Igor and Elizabeth about if this crazy scheme would even pay off or not before New Years Eve, meaning we'll be able to ring in the New Year with Ryoji not stuck being the giant 'Come kill all humans' beacon."

"...That would be wonderful..."

I smirked. "So, would that be an acceptably late Christmas gift?"

Fuuka blushed. "H-Huh?"

-...RIGHT Christmas is different here.- "Um... when's your birthday?"

"...Two days from now..."

"Okay, then would saving Ryoji be an acceptably late birthday gift?"

She was quiet for a moment, still blushing a little before she nodded. "Yes."

**CRASH**

-Hi Priestess Link, now please shut up.-

Koromaru started barking not but two seconds later as we got up the stairs to the Shrine, which informed us someone was there. A familiar someone, as it turned out.

"Hey kid." said Naoki, waving lazily from a bench. "Been a while."

"Y'know, I'm honestly amazed I don't run into you more." I commented aloud. "I've seen Anansi more times than we've crossed paths."

He shrugged. "I live on the other side of town so it's not often I'm out this way. But did you kids hit a snag? That Dark Hour thing's still around..."

"...Something like that..." replied Fuuka nervously. "It's... kinda complicated."

"How complicated?"

"Nyx is involved."

The Demi-Fiend jerked upright in his seat. "NYX? How the hell is THAT possible?"

"Uh, short version is it turns out the Shadows we thought would take the Dark Hour with them when they all died were in fact twelve of thirteen fragments of a Super Shadow that's going to call Nyx to earth to wipe out all life."

"That's... Impossible." He said. "Nyx wouldn't come down to destroy humanity or anything else unless one of her kids was in trouble..."

"And from what I've heard, Thanatos has been missing for years." I replied. "Also that the Super Shadow I mentioned could potentially be a clone or other such impostor of him, meaning that'd be how Nyx would end up killing everything."

Naoki shook his head. "Still not possible. If anything, Nyx would get angry that she was lied to and then go back to wherever she's been for the past millennia or so because she knows her kids well enough that a fake wouldn't fool her."

"Then... even if Nyx is summoned, we wouldn't have to fight?"

He nodded. "Pretty much... unless maybe Erebus gets involved."

"Nyx's husband?"

"Ex-husband." he clarified. "It's why nobody has seen much of Nyx in so long. Her and Erebus had a pretty bad falling out, and really? It's probably better she stays away at this point..."

"Why?"

"Because Erebus hasn't been right in the head for quite a while." replied Naoki. "Keeps going on and on about how unhappy humans are if he's not locked himself away under Olympus."

"Wait, so... if Nyx shows up, Erebus might come after her?" asked Fuuka.

"He might. It's hard to guess with him, but... if he does turn up, it'll probably come down to a fight."

Koromaru barked a few times, as if he was saying he wasn't afraid.

"Hah, right, that pooch can fight too, huh?" chuckled Naoki, getting off the bench and kneeling down to pet the Shiba. "So what exactly is your guys' plan?"

"Um, well, thus far it's 'don't kill the super shadow and fight Nyx if it comes down to it' because that Shadow looks like a person now."

He looked up at me. "Really? They can do that?"

"Well, I was talking to my senpai and the three of us speculate that the science gone wrong that created him might've used part of Thanatos, leading to everyone's favorite Death God having to hide somewhere and the Super Shadow having above average reality warping abilities."

"Whoa whoa, you mean the Kirijos actually tore part of Thanatos off?" Naoki asked as he stood up. "Fucking hell, that might actually make Nyx attacking more likely than Erebus... and this Shadow goes to your school?"

"Under the name Ryoji Mochizuki, yeah."

Naoki hummed, then looked glanced down at Koromaru. "...He can summon Cerberus, right?"

Koro let out a bark of affirmation.

"Yes, he can."

"I knew someone else who could as well... after a fashion, anyways." said the Demi-Fiend. "Great man."

"That reminds me, I met some people you used to work with."

He looked me. "Eh?"

"The lead scientists from the Asura Project." I clarified. "Koromaru belonged to the guy who could turn into Cerberus. Kagerou, if I remember what Roland said correctly."

"Ah, I see... that might explain it." he commented, kneeling down and patting the dog. "Seems like the pup here picked up more than a few of his owner's better traits, then..."

"What makes you say that?"

He winced. "Well... I kind of tried to kill the scientists when I encountered them. They were using their Atma, so I mistook them for demons..."

I looked at Fuuka. She looked at me. We both looked at Koromaru. He looked back, panting contently as Naoki scratched behind his ears. We then looked at Naoki.

"And they're not DEAD?" Fuuka and I asked in unison. "How?"

"For one, they were actually smart about fighting me." he said. "For two, Kagerou and Hayate turned back to normal and explained what was going on before I used one of my stronger techniques on them... I think Roland might still be mad at me for that."

"Better avoid Gekkoukan then; Him and Asami work there."

Naoki groaned. "Oh joy, they're in the city..." He let out a heavy sigh, reaching into his pocket. "But, while I may not be able to help you all directly, I can give your something that should help..."

He produced the strangest looking bracelet I've seen. It looked like some kind of demon worm thing had decided to roll into a circular shape someone could fit their hand through.

"It's useless to me these days, but you kids might be able to make use of it." He continued, handing it to me. "It doesn't bite, I promise."

"It better not..." I said, slipping it into my coat. "I'm already a half Oni Persona User, I don't need legitimate magic demon powers on top of that..."

He laughed. "Well it's got a powerful ability tied to it, but it only works if you wear it so you've got nothing to worry about."

"Thank you, Naoki-san." said Fuuka, bowing slightly.

"Ha, you're welcome..." he replied, seeming a little flustered because of the thank you. "Just one way I can help you and pay my respects."

"What cha' mean?"

"Kagerou saved my ass big time once. One of the assholes working for the guy who caused the whole Asura Project mess somehow managed to open a demonic portal and even I couldn't handle what was coming through." said Naoki. "I never really had the chance to properly thank him for that before he passed away..."

Koromaru made a half-hearted bark.

"You okay?" I asked, kneeling down beside the Shiba.

He looked at me with his big eyes, then bobbed his head.

"You sure?"

He barked and started wagging his tail.

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Strength Arcana..._

"Heh, I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

><p>Naoki stuck around to chat for a little while longer while Fuuka played with Koromaru. He shared a few tips he'd picked up from both his own troubles and the Asura Project insanity so we could pass 'em along to the others at the dorm. In a related story, I'm now more terrified of Naoki that I am of Shinjiro because holy fucking shit this guy has not only punched Lucifer in the teeth, but about seventy percent of the Heavenly Host of God and a good chunk of the Greek, Norse, Buddhist, and Japanese pantheons as well. And lived. And THEN made friends with most of them on top of that. I'm so freaking glad this guy isn't actively trying to kill us cuz we'd all probably be dead inside of twenty minutes, tops.<p>

Anyways, we eventually parted ways with the Demi-Fiend and headed back to the dorm. A few hours after we got back, I think around ten or so at night, I went to get a snack from the kitchen and heard weird clanking noises coming from the back door. I don't know what I expected to find when I opened the already slightly open back door of the dorm, but Mitsuru wearing a grime-covered t-shirt and jeans while kneeling down and working on her motorcycle was not it at all.

"...Grandma Tamiko, is that you?"

Mitsuru turned around and just gave me a quizzical look. It was more effective because of the fact her hair is tied up in a bun behind her head so I can actually see her entire face.

"I've heard at least seven different stories about her working on motor vehicles in my life, okay?" I said. "So sue me for trying to be funny."

"I'd have every cent your family had if I did that, Fortune." Mitsuru chuckled as she stood up. "What'd you need?"

"Nothing really, I was just wondering what the hell I was hearing." I replied, glancing at her motorcycle. "Damn, now that I think about it, it's been a hell of a long time since I saw that bike at all..."

She let out a sigh. "It'd been damaged rather severely in the Operation to rescue Yamagishi. One of the Shadows hit it with an attack..."

"It couldn't have taken until recently to get it fixed, though."

"It didn't." she clarified. "It'd been repaired since after our vacation to Yakushima, but with everything that happened afterwards, I neglected doing maintenance on it for some time..."

Eyebrow. "How long we talking?"

"Since September."

"Wow, that's... kinda bad."

"Indeed... Thankfully it wasn't particularly severe in terms of neglect. Not requiring the amount of equipment I needed to use my Persona's sensory ability to be carried on it has actually been quite helpful in keeping it operating smoothly."

"How heavy was that stuff?"

"Until Akihiko and Shinjiro came to the dorm, I could barely get it off of the bike by myself. And even with his impressive physical strength, Shinjiro needed Akihiko's help to get it upstairs."

I just stared at her. "...Shit that had to be absolute MURDER on the shock absorbers..."

"It was. Thankfully, it was an old model that has sense been replaced with something more potent and much lighter." Mitsuru stated. "Yamagishi's ability provided some very useful insight on the matter back at Yakushima, and Father had the replacement shipped to the dorm near the end of September. It works quite well, though I prefer to save it for emergencies."

"Like Fuuka being knocked out?"

"Precisely."

I hummed. "Neat... but how often do you actually use your bike? The last time I really remember seeing you on it was on one of the lazier days we had back in August, and the few other times I heard you pull up to the dorm on it..."

She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't get to ride it as often as I'd like, that's for certain..."

"Too busy?"

"Yes... though, with everything that's been happening, Mother has been making a point of ensuring I have more time to myself."

"Well given how we've got at least one potential deity bearing down on the lot of us and possibly hell-bent on wiping out humanity, I can't say I blame your mom for wanting to make sure you had less in the way of other stressful things to deal with."

She chuckled. "It's more that she'd been directly managing one of the labs until early October, at which point she put another scientist in charge and came to the main facility here in Iwatodai to make sure the Dark Hour was completely eradicated. With her not in the city, I felt I should handle some of her responsibilities whenever possible."

"Oh, okay... So then with her back, she's got that stuff under control... Y'know, now I'm curious about something."

"What?"

"Did you buy that bike yourself, or did your parents get it for you?"

"I purchased it myself shortly after I began to attend Gekkoukan High." she replied. "I'd felt somewhat... overly constrained at the time, and thought it would be nice to have the means to go where I wanted whenever I wanted to."

"How'd your parents take it?"

"It was the loudest I'd heard my father laugh in nearly five years when I had to explain what I'd bought to him and mother." Mitsuru said, sounding nostalgic about the memory. "As I discovered, he'd done something similar himself when he was younger... although it was an expensive car rather than a motorcycle."

I had to stop myself from laughing at the mental image of Takeharu's head on like, Akihiko's body and driving around in a Porsche while wearing sunglasses, because if I didn't I'd have just collapsed to the floor and passed out from busting a gut so hard. "Sounds like a case of 'Like father, like daughter' to me."

"Quite so." She replied, seeming rather happy about the comparison.

"...Hey wait a minute, you said you had your bike for two years, right? How the hell does that work?"

She blinked, arching an eyebrow in confusion. "The legal age to acquire a motorcycle license in Japan is sixteen, Fortune. I went through the process of doing so at the same time I purchased one."

"...Really?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"...So in theory, I could get one as well?"

"Correct. I could even assist you if you're interested in obtaining one."

I blinked. "...Seriously?"

"Seriously."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Empress Arcana..._

"...I think I'll take you up on that offer, Senpai."

"Very well. Let's begin right away..."

* * *

><p>I spent the next few hours getting pointers from Mitsuru before we both headed to bed. I invoked Ryoji's assistance at school the next day, since everyone wanted to throw a surprise birthday party for Fuuka, so he dragged her off on a date while the rest of us were setting up after school. At least, most of us were. Chidori wanted me to tag along with her on an errand she needed to run, which lead to the two of us heading to the hospital with her carrying some kind of package. I was almost curious as to why until Chidori asked a nurse where Jin Shirato's room was. Seems he's been checked into here for the past week or so. Not gonna lie, it was a little odd to see him sitting in a hospital bed and watching TV.<p>

"Chidori?" he asked as the two of us walked in, though he shot me a half worried, half angry glance.

I really hope he's not still pissed about the thing on the bridge. I have yet to not feel like a complete dick because of that.

"Hi Jin." she replied. "Sorry to drop in unannounced."

"It's fine... but why's he here?"

-Oh god please let this not blow up in our faces.- "Chidori asked me to tag along."

Jin gave me another odd glance, still trying to keep his attention on his friend.

"I wanted him to come with me while I gave you this..." she said, putting the box on Jin's lap. "I've been working on it for a few weeks."

He seemed confused as he silently opened the box, his eyes widening a fraction in surprise as he reached in to retrieve the contents. I didn't get a good look at it when he picked it up, but it looked like something in a frame.

"...What is this...?"

"A symbol of our freedom from the past." Chidori replied simply, a smile on her face. "And how we're no longer chained by a horrible fate."

Jin ran one hand along the side of the picture frame, his eyes rapidly moving as he looked over the image's every detail. "...It's been a long time since I've seen any of your drawings. Even longer since I saw one you colored..."

"I wanted to make something special for you. We've been friends for a long time, after all..."

A small chuckle escaped Jin. "Yeah... almost feels like a dream, y'know?"

"I've wondered about that myself." admitted Chidori. "But I know it's reality."

"Because if it wasn't, you'd have Pocket Monsters following you everywhere?"

She huffed. "Jin, I haven't had that dream in months!"

"Dare I ask what Pokemon in particular?"

"Entei."

"Jin!"

"Hey, he asked."

"Roy!"

"I plead the fifth."

"This isn't America!"

"I still plead the fifth!"

"Anyways..." said Jin, raising his voice enough to get us to look at him again. "Thanks, Chidori. Sorry I wasn't able to get out of here quick enough to get you something."

She smiled again. "It's fine, Jin. I'm just glad you're still here..."

"But you're still worried about me."

Chidori's expression fell. "...Yes."

"Haha... and here I thought it was supposed to be me worrying about you." he chuckled. "You were so much younger than everyone else brought into the project... twelve when it all started, right?"

She nodded.

"Then how old are you?" I asked Jin.

"Nineteen. Takaya was eighteen when the experiments began, so he'd be twenty-two by now."

"Huh... wouldn't have guessed just by lookin' at ya."

"I've gotten that a lot." he replied with a shrug.

"And... sorry about what happened on the bridge. It seemed like a good idea... then yeah, I was like five steps short of being a complete psychopath and not okay with it."

Jin just kind of stared at me. "...On one hand, my ribcage was hurting for about a week because of that stunt. On the other hand, you knocked loose Takaya's hold on me with it. And if you feel bad about that... I guess we can call it even, since I'm not under that bastard's control anymore."

"And how have things been going with the case against Takaya?" asked Chidori.

"He's got maybe a week tops before he's officially sentenced, last I heard." he answered. "They've got a pile of evidence against him almost as big as Tartarus. Like that Kurosawa guy said when he brought me by your dorm, the only daylight Takaya's gonna see for a long ass time is through a prison cell window."

I hummed. "Any mention of that cop who got his gun snatched?"

"He came by the other day, actually. Kind of a space cadet, but he had this look in his eye like he was serious about his work." said Jin. "He was here to ask me a few more questions. I asked him what was gonna happen once he said his name, and he got a little miffed. Seems he's getting transferred out to some town in the boonies, since he's still a good cop and got caught up in this mess by accident. Even spent a good ten minutes asking me if I knew how Takaya stole his pistol."

"What'd you say?"

"That I didn't know, mainly because I really don't. Takaya wandered off one day and came back after the Dark Hour with it. Told him my best guess was Takaya stalked him and pulled a fast one on him."

Chidori made a low grumbling noise. "Certainly sounds like something he'd do..."

"Yeah, but you two should get going." he said. "Visiting time's almost up, so you and the Oni gotta scram. And swing by the Pokemon Center before it closes. Get that idiot you call your boyfriend a gift."

"Jin, be nice!"

"Until there's a ring on your finger, not likely. Even then it's debatable"

Chidori's face went as red as her hair. "I-I'll come visit again, Jin! S-See you then!"

He chuckled as Chidori started dragging me out of the room. "Alright. See you then, Chidori."

* * *

><p>After about two minutes of Chidori yanking me out of the hospital, we started back towards the dorm. Hopefully before the surprise party started.<p>

"...Hey, Chidori?"

"Yes?"

"You're probably gonna get called as a witness to testify against Takaya. Do you know exactly what you're going to say he had you doing?"

Chidori looked away, a thoughtful expression on her face before she answered.

"...Yes. Jin said that I should just tell them I knew a lot of back routes around the city to avoid notice, especially at night." she said. "If the Strega Project comes up, then... well, that might be difficult."

"I doubt it will unless Jin talked about it first." I noted. "And if he did, he'd definitely tell you first."

She bobbed her head slightly in agreement. "I know he would, but..."

"Still worried if it does?"

"Yeah..."

"I'd say not to stress it. I may not know Jin as well as you do, but it's pretty obvious he's not the type to just leave you to handle things on your own when he can actually help you."

She smiled. "You're right... and, thanks."

"What for?"

"Being civil with him." She replied, looking at me. "I'm glad you were able to talk and not start arguing."

"He's just a guy trying to look out for pretty much the only friend he really has." I said. "I can't hold it against him. Especially not when I'm the one who roughed him up a lot."

"I know, but... it still means a lot that two of my closest friends were able to get along."

**CRASH**

"Hi Temperance Arcana, can you call back another time? My cake senses are tingling."

* * *

><p>I was honestly amazed at how well the surprise party ended up going, even if Ryoji didn't stick around for very long. It was nice to see everyone having a good time despite how bad things were. Even school was something of a welcome distraction from the looming end of the year, since Ryoji also looked like he was dreading it. I got to have something else to occupy my thoughts after school though, when I got a phone call.<p>

I swear my blood actually ran cold when I heard the ringtone I'd assigned to the caller. "Yes, Elizabeth?"

_["Good afternoon, Master Roy."]_ She said._ ["I have a request I would like you to complete."]_

"Mmhm... what might that be, Liz?"

_["I would very much like to visit your place of residence. It is called a 'student dormitory', yes?"]_

I looked at Aigis, who was glancing at me as she talked with Yukari about something.

"Yeah... and I assume you'd like to stop by today?"

_["If at all possible."]_

"...You okay, Roy?"

I made a 'so-so' gesture with my left hand. "Alright then, I'll be by in a little while. See you in a bit, Liz."

_["Farewell for now, Master Roy."]_

I hung up my phone, then just dropped my face onto my desk.

"Roy?"

"Liz wants to see the dorm." I grumbled, rolling my head to one side to look at Aigis and Yukari. "Today."

"I don't see why this is a problem..."

"You've both MET her." I noted. "And if you think she's an oddball when in a large area, I'm honestly afraid of what would happen if she was in the confined space of our dorm... especially since she's in charge of keeping tabs on every..." I paused, having nearly forgotten I was at school. "...thing I've ever used with that one skill I've got, and she once thought dancing in front of Escapade would make the club open sooner."

Yukari looked at Aigis, then gave me a sympathetic look. "I'd love to help, but I can't. The captain of the archery team needs me around today."

"I can certainly assist." Aigis chimed in.

"Thank you, dear..." I sighed before I got up. "C'mon, let's get going. The sooner the better, really..."

* * *

><p>About an hour later, and Aigis, Liz, and I were all standing outside the dorm.<p>

"So... this is the student dormitory where you spend your days?" she asked as we walked in. "Such an interesting color scheme..."

"This coming from the person who works in a perpetually blue room while wearing blue herself."

Elizabeth giggled. "I rather like the color, in all honesty. It is very soothing."

"Blue is often associated with calmness and understanding." Aigis noted, glancing towards the kitchen. "...It seems Shinjiro-san is occupying the kitchen."

"Best avoid that, then..." I said. "Last time someone bugged him when the door was shut like that, they had to dodge a steak knife..."

"The chef is hostile?"

"In a manner of speaking, yeah..."

Liz hummed thoughtfully. "But, he prepares the food you partake in, yes? It must be quite difficult to attain sustenance when the area is dangerous..."

"Only if you're trying to sneak it and snag snacks. He's not openly out to punch anybody who walks through the door..."

"I see... Oh my, what a curious thing..."

I almost asked her what she was talking about when she started poking the TV screen.

"What an odd place for a window..." Elizabeth commented. "...Or is it a portal of sorts, leading to another world?"

"That is a television, Elizabeth-san." said Aigis. "It does not function as a gateway."

"Oh, I see... it is the device that allows one to witness images recorded in the past or transmitted over long distances, yes?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You asked about them when we visited Hagakure I think, but the one there was a different model than this one..."

"Ah yes, I remember..." she hummed, sounding oddly happy about the memory. "The aroma of the restaurant still lingers strongly in my mind..."

"As Junpei-san once said, 'Once you go to Hagakure, you will always want to come back'..." Aigis said before looking at me. "Or was it Hamuko-san?"

"Both, actually."

Elizabeth, however, had wandered over towards the stairs. "Oh, is there more to this building?"

"Yeah, the bedrooms are up there. Mine's on the second floor at the back of the hall on the right-"

The moment I finished saying that, Liz ran straight up the stairs. It took a half second for me and Aigis to bolt after her.

Once we got to the second floor landing, though, we found a very confused trio of people sitting at one of the tables.

"Who was that?" asked Junpei.

"And why did she sprint down the hallway?" added Chidori.

Yukari, meanwhile, just gave me a sort of 'oh here we go again' look. "Do I even wanna know what you're doing this time?"

"Talk later, need to catch Liz before she breaks somebody." I replied, darting down the hall. "Hey, what the hell!"

I could sorta hear Aigis quickly explaining things behind me as I found Elizabeth standing in my room with the door open.

"So, this is your room..." she said whimsically. "I've never seen many of these things before..."

"Why did you just barge in here?"

She turned around, one of those innocent but not really smiles on her face that Hamuko makes a lot of the time. "My curiosity simply got the better of me! I've wondered what sort of place you reside in for quite some time."

"Well you could've just asked and- What the HELL do you think you're doing?"

"Inspecting what is behind this door..."

"I said I'd take you to see the dorm, not so you could rummage through my closet!"

"Is there a difference?"

"What is in there is none of your business. It's mine."

"Thank you, Ai- Wait, WHAT?"

"Hamuko-san said it was 'girlfriend's privilege' to know such things."

"Oh my, so you both are quite close then? Pardon my intrusion!"

"HAMUKO ARISATO, I NEED TO HAVE WORDS WITH YOU RIGHT NOW!"

**SLAM**

"She just left, Roy!"

"GOD FUCKING DAMN IT"

* * *

><p>So about twenty minutes and one disgruntled phone call later, and Elizabeth was sampling Shinjiro's cooking while everyone else was grilling me at the table.<p>

"Do I even wanna know WHY we have a spotlight?" I deadpanned as Aigis pointed it at me while everyone else was playing the part of the interrogators. "Or was it just Junpei's idea?"

"Mine actually." said Akihiko. "But to keep on topic, who is that?"

"How the hell do you people not know?" I asked. "She's only been mentioned every time the Velvet Room came up in my Journal!"

Mitsuru glanced over at Elizabeth, then back at me. "So she is the attendant who assists Igor?"

"Yeah! Did the velvet blue bellhop uniform not give her away or something?"

"It's hard to tell at this point." admitted Ken. "There's so many strange things going on, some of it slips the net."

Koromaru barked in agreement.

"Great, now even the pooch is giving me the third degree..."

"He said she seems like a nice person, Roy."

"Oh. Nevermind then."

"How long did she intend to visit for?" asked Fuuka.

"I dunno. Not more than today I'm sure, cuz if that is her plan then she has some explaining to do."

"Hmm? Oh, no, no, I just wished to see what your residence was like, not remain here indefinitely. I wonder if I could convince Master Igor to expand the Velvet Room into something with more space..."

I looked over my shoulder at Elizabeth. "It's already a giant, perpetually ascending elevator, Liz. I'm not sure how much bigger it could get and remain practical..." I paused. "...I only just now realized I could've made an 'ascending into madness' joke the moment I set foot in that place the first time. God damn it..."

"Ah, that is indeed a shame." she sighed. "Master Igor quite enjoys your sense of humor..."

"What exactly do you do in the Velvet Room?" asked Fuuka. "I mean, whenever Roy-kun isn't around..."

"We who reside in the Velvet Room wait with great anticipation for 'guests', such as Master Roy." replied Elizabeth. "Their arrival is our only link to the outside world, and gives us a reason to be."

Chidori frowned. "That sounds like a lonely existence..."

"Indeed it is, but all those who enter the Velvet Room are destined to embark on a Journey. What it will hold is for the individual to discover in whatever way they choose; we are bound by a contract to determine our fate with our own will, and no matter the outcome must take responsibility for the actions that lead to it." said Liz. "Though, there is no telling when a Journey may begin, when it may end, or what the Journey itself will hold along the path in between."

"So y'know, it's basically life." I commented. "Just with more supernatural shenanigans involved than normal."

"Like you're one to talk, Oni boy."

"You're not either, Mr. My Grandfather Breaks Physics With A Sword!"

"Yeah, but do you hear me complaining?"

"Who said I've been complaining? I've been on the crazy train since I was born and didn't even know it!"

"Still sounds like complaining."

"Oh, shut up."

"Only if you can get Aigis to put down the floodlight and everyone to sit down, cuz dinner's ready."

Elizabeth giggled as everyone started gathering around the table to eat. "Oh my, if such conversations are commonplace I only wish I'd requested to visit sooner... I haven't been this amused in a long time!"

"The only thing we're missing now is a certain spider god crashing the party, but I'm convinced THAT won't happen."

"You rang?"

I threw a chair right at him. "FUCK YOU."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Pierrot Arcana..._

* * *

><p>On one hand, I was absolutely convinced the fastest way to get Anansi's attention was to mention him while Shinjiro was cooking. On the other hand, I still wanted to throttle him. In other news, though, he didn't have any legitimately helpful insight into the whole Nyx situation beyond 'if she really does turn up, you lot are fucked.' so y'know, a complete spoil sport. I got Elizabeth back to the Velvet Room about an hour after we finished eating with Ken and Koromaru tagging along, surprisingly enough. They both seemed kinda out of it for some reason, though. I got my chance to find out when we got to the shrine on the way home to the dorm.<p>

Koromaru let out a sad howl infront of the shrine. A few others echoed in the distance, then Koro howled again.

"What's wrong little buddy?" I asked, scratching him behind the ears as I knelt down next to the dog.

He whimpered sadly in response.

"I think he misses his owner." said Ken. "This might be his first Christmas without him..."

Koromaru howled once more after Ken said that.

"What, and we don't count for anything?" I asked, leaning forward a little.

Koro turned his head towards me with a confused tilt.

"I know we're not exactly replacements, but you've still got us." I said, patting him on the head. "Me, Ken, and everyone else at the dorm. Even the spider."

His ears perked up a little.

"And Shinji's cooking."

He barked happily, his tail wagging back and forth.

**CRASH**

-Thanks, now shush voices.- "By the way, something been bugging you, Ken?"

"Huh?"

"You looked a bit more out of it than usual today." I said. "Got a lot to think about?"

He sat down on the pavement next to Koromaru. "A little, yeah..."

"Wanna talk about it?" I asked, sitting down as well. "I'm not gonna bite or anything. You still talk to your dad, right? In fact, how'd it go getting to hang out with him while we were off in Kyoto?"

"It was... kinda weird at first." he said. "It took me a little while to really think I wasn't dreaming... that he wouldn't disappear the moment I looked away or blinked..."

"And after that?"

He smiled. "It was great. I just... didn't know how much I missed having family till I found out I still had some."

"What, you didn't feel like you were around family with your grandparents?"

Ken shook his head. "They were strict. Really strict. Everything was like business to them... probably still is. I never felt like I mattered to them beyond the fact I was their daughter's son."

"That's messed up."

"Dad said the same thing." he said, chuckling a little. "I had a lot of fun over at his house."

"And thanks for keeping an eye on Mira. I forgot to ask before we left..."

"You're welcome. She got out of the tank one day, though."

I laughed. "Oh god, what did she do?"

"Dunno. We found her sitting on the counter next to the bowl of fruit and I think she was asleep..." he said. "The TV remote looked like it'd been moved, too."

I just stared at Ken. "I know she's a smart arachnid, but goddamn, I didn't know she could do THAT!"

"Dad found it funny for some reason. Wouldn't say why, though..."

"Huh... weird." I hummed. "Still, must've been nice to not be stuck in the dorm by yourself for two days, right?"

He grinned "Heck yeah."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt-_

-Not important right now, go away.- "But was that thing with your grandparents why you were so scared of being a kid?"

He fidgeted a little as Koromaru laid down next to him. "...Kinda."

"Kinda?"

"They didn't mind for a little while when I first started living with them, but..." he hesitated for a second. "Eventually, they got mad if I didn't act 'properly' or got excited. They said it 'wasn't befitting someone of my social standing'."

I let out a whistle. "Geez, I can see why your mom married your dad then. I'd have gone crazy if my parents were like that! And if something I heard your dad say was right, your mom hit people with books?"

"Big ones, but yeah." said Ken, a small smile on his face. "She didn't like door to door salespeople that much. Chased a few off by throwing old phone books at them once."

"Well, that explains where your throwing arm comes from..." I commented, scratching my chin as I thought about how many times I've seen him throw his spear at Shadows. "...Shinjiro hasn't been teaching you proper ways of throwing anything else, has he?"

"No."

"Oh good-"

"Yukari has."

"GOD DAMN IT, YUKARI."

Ken started laughing. "I KNEW you'd say that!"

I glared at him. "...You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

"Nope."

"DAMN IT, KEN."

He just laughed harder. "Totally worth it!"

"Well, at least you're acting like a kid more easily..." I sighed. "Granted, you're being a twerp, but still. Glad to see you've still got it in ya."

"I don't think anyone can ever stop being a kid..." he said as his laughter faded into giggles. "Junpei's a good example."

"Rude."

"It's true!"

"I just said it was rude, not that it wasn't!"

"...Eh, fair enough then."

**CRASH**

"Holy shit, wow..."

"What?"

"Two messages from the spooky voices about you within the past ten minutes. New record, I think."

"So what, they like me?"

I shrugged. "Man, I don't even know..."

"Should I be flattered or annoyed?"

"Both is fine."

* * *

><p>Me, Ken, and Koro swung by a corner store on our way back for something to drink a few minutes after our conversation about the spooky voices heckling me ended. Of course the next day, it finally dawned on me how... ODD it is to have school on Christmas Eve. At least for someone who grew up in America, anyways. Of course, that didn't stop Aigis from informing me that Hamuko told her that she was to keep me all to herself after school today and tomorrow at lunchtime. That said, Ryoji then requested my help the moment Aigis walked away.<p>

"I need you to do me a huge favor." He said, grabbing me by the shoulders and looking me in the eye.

"Okay, what is it?" I asked, more than a little curious.

"It's Christmas Eve, and being the kind of guy I am, that means I'm going to take Fuuka to a nice restaurant for a date." he said. "The only thing is, I need to know what kind of food she likes without the surprise being spoiled. So-"

I just laughed. "Dude, I can do you one better than that."

He blinked. "Huh?"

"She told me what her favorite restaurant was when we walked past it last month."

"Seriously?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but I'll tell you on one condition."

"Oh come on, man!"

"It's easy, you big baby." I said. "It's just a question and we still got ten minutes before class starts back up."

He grumbled, then sat down in Junpei's chair and looked at me. "Okay, what's the question?"

"Simple, really." I hummed. "What exactly drew you to Fuuka in the first place? I mean, to be perfectly honest you were hitting on anything female for like about a week solid when you first got here."

"Oh... um..." He scratched his cheek, looking more nervous than I'd ever seen from him. "W-Well... I guess one thing is how... pure she is?"

"Pure?"

"Like the kind of incorruptibly nice person you'd only ever find in an anime."

Eyebrow. "M'kay... what else?"

"She's smart, means well..." he continued, his face turning a shade of scarlet with each statement. "...I've seen her school Junpei at games he often professes to be good at..."

"Like Street Fighter? Already owned him there so it's not hard."

"She did it in three combos."

I blinked. "...Okay, nevermind. Fuuka's pro as hell."

"Y-Yeah, but she never does anything to flaunt it!" Ryoji exclaimed. "Like, I've seen girls come up to me and say things like they're 'one of the prettiest' or 'aced their exam every semester' just out of the blue, but Fuuka? The closest thing to bragging I've ever heard from her was her talking about how hard she was trying to learn how to cook! She's honest and humble, not some braggart whose actual intelligence is null and void to how much they want to share a bed with the hot guy they're talking to."

"Some of that might've be me having rubbed off on you, but hey? What cha' gonna do. I've picked up quirks from my friends before, and its' not always bad."

He chuckled. "Yeah... guess so."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Tower Arcana..._

"And since you held up your end of the bargain, I suppose I should tell you where that restaurant is..."

"PLEASE DO."

"Here, get out a pen and paper to write this shit down first..."

* * *

><p>Of course now Ryoji wanted me to make sure Fuuka was still at the school after Cooking Club, since he wanted to meet her at the gate. Being the kind of guy I am, I agreed to it. Aigis, however, got a little pouty when I mentioned the club near the end of the day. She kept muttering to herself after that, but I couldn't quite tell what she was saying and I got distracted from wondering when I got to club to find Shinjiro declaring it 'bake a Christmas Cake marathon' day. I likely have Hamuko to blame for that since she wasn't at club, probably to set up her own date with Shinji.<p>

Granted, getting to eat cake batter off of hand mixers is never something I've been known to pass up, but the cake I ended up making didn't quite turn out the way I'd hoped. It was still good when Aigis and I ate it later, don't get me wrong, but I was trying to make it lighter and fluffier than it came out as. Anyways, Shinji left a little early, leaving me and Fuuka to clean up before we left.

"Hehe, I can't wait to eat this later..." Fuuka said, closing up the container she'd put the cake she made in before she let out a sigh. "...I just hope I can find Ryoji... I'd like to share it with him..."

Eyebrow. "Why don't you think you can find him? Just follow the sound of swooning fangirls and panicked running."

"I haven't seen him all day..." she lamented, plopping down in a chair and looking at me. "Was he absent?"

"Nah, he was here today." I replied. "Maybe you just had bad timing and didn't catch him in the hallway?"

Fuuka sighed again. "But he usually stops by during or after cooking club..."

"Well he mentioned some kind of plan he had today, so maybe that's why he's not here?"

"Maybe..." she hummed, standing up. "...I hope I can find him before we leave..."

I chuckled as I gathered up my stuff. "Well that's new."

"What is?"

"Your level of optimism." I said. "If something like this had happened back when we first met, I'd wager you'd have just thought he didn't want to be around you and left quietly."

She blushed faintly. "Yeah... I probably would have back then. But... I've gotten so much braver by being around everyone at the dorm."

"That's good. Better than always being hard on yourself, y'know?"

"Mmhm." She agreed as she finished gathering her things. "I was always scared to act out... but knowing I have people I can count on if things get hard is an amazing feeling, so..." She held out a cookbook to me. "Thank you."

I arched an eyebrow as I took the cookbook from her. "What's this for?"

"It's my way of showing how much I appreciate all the help you've given me." she said with a smile. "And that I'll always be there to help if you need me."

I chuckled as I flipped through the cook book. It looked hand made... and some of the recipes were in her handwriting, too. "Heh, no thanks necessary... but if you want me to have this, I ain't gonna say no."

Fuuka giggled. "I figured you wouldn't, Roy-kun."

**CRASH**

-Oh hai spooky voices-

_I am thou... thou art I..._

-Holy shit, it's that time again?-

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Priestess Arcana has been set free._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Henet, the Ultimate Form of the Priestess Arcana..._

"Roy-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Did... you hear something just now?"

I nodded as we walked out of the club room. "Yeah. Spooky Voices have determined we've reached peak friendship levels."

"I... heard something about unleashing dormant power..."

I gave her a concerned look. "Well, you wouldn't be the first... but how the hell would that manifest for you?"

"I don't know..." She admitted as we changed shoes. "I guess we'll have to find out then, huh?"

"Guess so." I agreed, holding the door open. "But I think there's something more pressing for you to think about."

Fuuka looked at me oddly as we stepped outside. "Like what, Roy-kun?"

"Why Ryoji is standing over there with a knowing smirk on his face."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Sorry this took so long. Real life has been kinda kicking my ass so my motivation to write has been nearly non existent. Hopefully that'll get turned around, but if not, well... that's why Chapter 33 might take a while. Also have fun figuring out what was up with Roy's spider! Mwehehehe...


	33. Reshuffle the Deck

**Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!**

**Delta XIII -** Calm down, it's only canon insomuch that the Touhou characters exist. It's EXTREMELY unlikely that Roy is ever going to talk to them ever; I'm just world building in a silly way because I write Reshuffled as much to entertain myself as I do to entertain other people. And hate to dissapoint, but no, Mira the Spider isn't going to be some giant pay-off of some sort. It's just something silly I thought of that I'm gonna run with because why not.

**R3qu13m0f50ul5 **- Mira's only connection to Anansi is the fact they are both spiders. As for the music, I DID spawn like a big list of what I thought the Reshuffled themes for like random battles, boss fights, Full Moon Shadows, etc would be but I'm running on very little sleep as I post this so I probably won't put the official list in until like, the Author Notes of chapter 34. I will say this, though: Roy's P4 Arena theme would be Deathfire Grasp by Pentakill because of reasons.

**FrozenxRose** - Basically Roy's trying to do something like using a gameshark to get someone who's not supposed to be playable into the playable party. Except with supernatural powers instead of video games. You'll see how it works out this chapter, actually!

**Dragginninja -** No. At the moment, unless world-shaking events happen in Persona Q that alter canon a hell of a lot, I'm just going to leave them out of the Reshuffled Timeline... although technically, a Reshuffled PQ would feature potentially two instances of Roy; the Reshuffled one, and then the Golden Moon version that hangs out with Rusei a few years down the line. That'd probably be pretty awkward... or awesome. Take your pick.

As always, thank you to **PuppeteerOfHearts**, **Ella Lucarita**, and **ScarfDrilbur **for helping me get this done! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>Why yes, my Christmas with Aigis was wonderful, why do you ask? ...Wait, who would I even be asking that question? I don't even know what I'm doing with this Journal anymore.<p>

Anyway, everyone was in good spirits after all the Christmas Shenanigans which in my opinion was the best way to head into the last five days of the year. And with how it all went down? Hell of a positive note to end on in the face of overwhelming odds... but that's me getting ahead of myself! The day after Christmas, since we had another Tartarus Sparring Session that night, I got curious about the Archery Club since I've actually never seen them practice. I was summarily terrified when I finally got out to where the practiced and found Yukari.

"...How are you doing that?" I asked as I stared at the target she was sniping with near perfect accuracy.

"Doing what?" She asked casually, not even remotely dropping her stance or anything before letting another arrow fly.

"Using that bow!" I said, turning to her. "It's as big as you are! No, wait, scratch that, it's almost as big as ME!"

Yukari just laughed. "You should see Akemi-senpai, then. She's shorter than me and a better shot."

"That just raises more questions! How do you even do that?"

"It's easy, really..." she replied before suddenly going on a tangent about bow strength, tension, and a bunch of other stuff that went right over my head. It took about ten minutes before I raised my hand, partly to stop her and partly like I had a question.

"Can you say that in not archery person speak?" I asked. "Because everything you said went so far over my head I think it's landed on the moon."

She smiled. "Then congratulations, you now know what it's like to be on the opposite side of a conversation with you when you start rambling about mythology or tarot."

"You say that like this is the first time some technical stuff about something has gone over my head." I deadpanned. "Or maybe you haven't been around for one of Fuuka's techie rants."

"Hamuko can translate that pretty well, you know."

"That is beside the point!" I said. "I've never seen you use a bow like that before!"

A heavy sigh escaped Yukari. "That's because Mitsuru won't let me use it in Tartarus because she's paranoid I'll trip over it... I'm a terrible shot with those smaller bows."

Instantly that one instance of Yukari headshotting three Shadows with one arrow came to mind. "Then how do you explain hitting three things with one arrow?"

"I had to channel a lot to get that level of accuracy and power with those smaller bows..." She grumbled. "I really don't see why I can't use a club bow... it's not like I've never run while shooting with one before."

"What."

"I... I got bored and nobody else was at club one day, okay? Shut up."

I just arched an eyebrow at her.

"...Right. Look who I'm talking to..." she sighed.

"But you never thought to bring this up before... why?"

"Well, you've found a few different bows for me in Tartarus or got me some from Kurosawa-san, so I didn't wanna seem ungrateful..."

"Telling me that you're better with bows the size of flagpoles isn't ungrateful; it's informing the uninformed."

She frowned. "Fair enough, but how was I supposed to know that before now?"

"How was I supposed to know anything archery related before now?"

"Google."

"The internet is not a valid point of reference for this situation!"

A cheeky grin curled its way onto her face. "You say that, but I'm pretty sure Wikipedia exists."

I inhaled sharply, raising a hand like I was going to emphasize my counter argument, but I just paused for a moment. "...Damn it, I don't actually have a comeback for that one."

"That's a first."

"I've had a lot of firsts this year." I sighed. "But now I'm even less surprised Ken's turning out a smartass..."

"Why?"

I gestured vaguely between the two of us. "Everybody at the dorm is one to some degree, even the dog! Actually, ESPECIALLY the dog!"

"How is Koro-chan a smartass?"

"The only one who can understand him is the robot! Who knows what he says half the time she's not around!"

"I'd say it's more fighty stuff with how he attacks that one squeaky toy of his..."

I thought about that for a second, then nodded. "Valid alternative."

She rolled her eyes, setting the giant bow down before sitting down next to me. "...I guess... maybe the real reason I never bothered to try using one of these bows was deep down... I didn't want to fight. I just wanted to find out what happened to my dad."

"Would explain your hesitation with your Evoker those first few weeks in Tartarus..." I noted quietly, watching two other archery club members walk away.

"I still don't get how you could use yours so easily." she said. "Aside from the first time, I mean..."

I shrugged. "I couldn't tell ya either. Unless me being screwed up in the head because of all the supernatural bullshit had something to do with it..." I hummed. "...Maybe it's because I'm kinda simple."

"You? SIMPLE?"

"Thought process wise, Yukari." I deadpanned. "If a thing works a certain way, it doesn't strike me as odd once explained to me. So sure, while it was kinda weird to put an Evoker against my skull, my head rationalized it as 'this does a thing that kills monsters' or something like that. I've honestly given up trying to understand my thought process from back then... it almost feels alien to me now."

"Since you're not... well, broken in your head anymore?"

"Probably."

"Well, it's better than most alternatives probably..." noted Yukari. "You could've been some really broody, emo kid who didn't think death was scary."

I laughed. "Yeah, that would've been bad..." I glanced at the bow, then back at her. "So what, you gonna use that thing in Tartarus now?"

"If only to see how Junpei reacts."

"Shame we don't have a Dark Hour camera..."

"I do."

I stared at her. "You do?"

"My Evoker, duh." She said with a grin. "It's still a camera phone."

"...Yukari, you might just be an evil genius."

"I try." A determined expression came over her face a moment later. "And no matter what's coming for us... I'm gonna pull my own weight and then some."

**CRASH**

-Woo!- "Considering how much upper body strength you must have to be able to actually use that damn bow, I wouldn't be surprised if you could bench press a couch."

"I broke a jerk's nose in middle school for snapping my bra." she admitted. "On reflex, actually..."

"...I shudder to imagine what any kids you end up having will be like now."

"And any possible kids Shinjiro-san and Hamuko would have don't?"

"I like not having nightmares, thanks."

"Payback for June."

"OH COME ON THAT WAS YOUR OWN FAULT!"

* * *

><p>I stuck around Archery Club a little longer before heading back to the dorm with Yukari, only to get dragged back out by Akihiko. Apparently he wanted to talk to Kurosawa about something and since I'm the one in charge of gear, he brought me along in case of new potential equipment from the officer. It was mostly normal until Akihiko nearly squashed someone barely three steps into the mall.<p>

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going..." he apologized. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." replied the girl, brushing off her hoodie as she got back up. "You should really be more observant."

"Yeah... I get that a..." Akihiko began, then he paused and made a face. "...lot..."

I arched an eyebrow at Akihiko's pause, then I noticed something about the girl. Aside from being a little bit taller than Hamuko, her eyes seemed... vacant.

"Then maybe you should listen to the people who tell you that stuff." she commented, only vaguely looking at Akihiko's face. "Unless... are you blind?"

Akihiko shook his head. "No... why?"

She hummed. "Then you don't have an excuse for not watching your step, Mr. Body Builder."

"Haha, fair enough..." he tapered off again, still staring at the girl. "...But can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Are you... blind? Your eyes aren't focused..."

-And here I thought Akihiko was unobservant.- I chuckled mentally. -Mitsuru must be a better influence than I thought... wait a second, are those DOG EARS on her head?-

I shook my head lightly and sure enough, there were two, pointy dog-like ears vaguely visible under her hood.

"Yeah, and I'm STILL more aware of my surroundings than you." she replied. "Not perfect though..."

"That's... impressive..." he commented, sounding somewhere between being in awe and completely unable to grasp what she'd just said to him.

She shrugged. "Not really. You learn to adapt after nearly eleven years of it..."

"I don't think I could do something like that..."

"Why not?" she asked as my curiosity finally got the better of me and I focused on her.

-Pythia of the Star Arcana... Wait, she's a Persona User too? What the hell!-

Akihiko sighed. "I just... mess up enough as is with my sight, I can't imagine being able to do anything without it..."

"You could always train blindfolded." I commented.

The girl gestured towards me. "See, he's got the right idea..." she paused, then giggled. "Heh... see."

"Now I'm reminded of that Avatar cartoon..."

"My friend likes that show." she said with a grin. "Toph's fun to listen to."

"...How would learning to fight blindfolded help with anything?" Akihiko asked, having apparently been trying to figure out the useful applications for it for the past ten seconds.

I tapped my chin. "Well, if I remember some of those biology shows on that science channel my Uncle is fond of, if a person loses one of their senses, their other ones become more heightened to compensate."

"Not wrong. Still wish it was possible to smell color, though..." grumbled the girl. "That'd be neat..."

"Synthesia, if I remember the term correctly..."

I turned to Akihiko. "You know it?"

"Shinji's aunt Yuuna is a surgeon in Tokyo. Her and Makoto-nee are the only ones of his family you haven't met I think..."

"Makoto-nee?"

"Kaede's older sister."

"Ah." I hummed. I'm not even remotely surprised by Shinji's family tree anymore.

The girl giggled. "Sounds like your friend has quite the collection of relatives."

"Yeah... but I was kinda surprised when you said 'smell color'..."

"Well, everything else is more sensitive due the whole 'blindness' thing..." She commented. "Speaking of, you need to shower more. You smell like wet dog and gym socks."

"Gee, thanks..." he grumbled before punching me in the arm. "Stop snickering."

I rubbed my arm. "Hey, I can't help it if something is hilarious!"

"If I wasn't sure you two were pals, I'd tell you to not annoy the Oni..."

"Oh don't tell me, I smell like magic and booze."

"No, magic and printer ink. You play cards a lot?"

"A bit, yeah."

Akihiko just seemed bewildered. "Magic has a smell?"

"Yep! Like really old, leather-bound books." reported the blind girl happily. "I like it personally."

"Huh... learn something new everyday..."

"HEY! Time to go, Star!"

The girl's ears perked up under her hood as she looked past me and Akihiko. "Be right there, Firebrand!" She glanced at us. "I gotta get goin'. No hard feelings for almost squashing me!"

She slipped past us, and I watched her leave. She approached another girl who looked to be almost as tall as I was with a similar hair color that was tied up in a ponytail, was munching on some Pocky... and had Nekheb of the Sun Arcana in her head. I turned back to Akihiko a moment later, and he had a weirdly contemplative look on his face.

"...I... I think that was..." he said quietly, as if he didn't believe what he was saying. "...No... there's no way... it couldn't be her..."

"Akihiko?"

His head jerked in my direction. "Huh?"

"Something on your mind, dude?" I asked.

"...A lot, yeah..." he admitted. "Got kinda hung up on the idea of being blind..."

"Because you kind of were, at least in the metaphorical sense, to some things in your life?"

Akihiko stood there for a second before he laughed weakly. "Yeah... something like that..." Another moment's hesitation followed. "I just... well, I just thought that if I put all my focus on where I went wrong, I could fix it and get stronger..."

"And how well has that worked out?"

He sighed. "Not well... if anything, I made it worse till I got a reality check..."

"Reality check?"

"October."

"Oh... that."

Akihiko nodded slightly. "Yeah... took nearly losing my best friend to make me realize I wasn't getting any better."

"And if you had?"

He shivered. "I don't even wanna think about it."

"Can't say I blame you, Akihiko."

"But, I can't help but wonder..." he began, looking in the direction the blind girl and her friend had left in. "...Was there some other force at work in getting me to meet that girl? I wish I could have that much spunk even in the face of all I've lost..."

I hummed. "It's not a matter of wishing for it. Ya just gotta do it."

"...Huh?"

"Your biggest strength is also your greatest weakness, Akihiko." I said. "You hyper focus on something until you get it done, and that's not something many people can do... your problem is just that you focus on the BAD rather than the good, and also some ideal of strength that might not even be physically possible to attain. So instead of chasing a rainbow, try following a river. Might have a better shot at finding what you're after that way."

"You'd be surprised how strong people can get, Roy."

I just stared at him. "Says the guy talking to an Oni."

"I mean people like me."

"Okay, fair enough then."

"The trick is just knowing where to start, I suppose..."

I grinned. "Well, I think you'll figure it out."

"Heh... thanks, Roy... Oh, by the way..."

"Eh?"

He pulled something out of his vest and handed it to me. "Here. I got you something."

"...Gloves?" I asked. And not like lame ones, these were fancy ones... similar to the ones Akihiko himself was often seen wearing, actually. Just a dark shade of brown instead of black.

"You keep rubbing your hands together on instinct, so I thought they'd help durring winter." He said.

"And yet you wear those ones almost year round."

He scoffed. "Good insulation and better than having bare metal rubbing against your skin all the time in Tartarus."

"...That's actually clever..."

"Yeah, Shinji was amazed I'd thought of it way back when as well." Akihiko noted with a laugh.

**CRASH**

"HOOBA JOOBA WHAT"

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"What's wrong?"

_The bond thou has nurture hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Star Arcana has been set free..._

"The voices are back. We're besties on their scale now."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Raijuu, the Ultimate form of the Star Arcana..._

"...Raijuu is like a giant lightning hound thing, right?"

"Somethin' like that... and I think I heard those voices as well..."

"That makes..." I counted off in my head. "Everyone except Yukari, Ken, Mitsuru, Chidori, and presumably Koromaru who has at this point..."

Akihiko laughed. "It still surprises me how big SEES has gotten. To think it used to just me me, Shinji, and Mitsuru..."

"I bet the first few weeks were awkward as hell."

"You don't even know the half of it, Roy..."

* * *

><p>Later that night at Tartarus, though...<p>

"NO NO NO- ROY STOP MY ARM DOES NOT BEND THAT WAY"

"Hey, you were the one who wanted me to show you that one pinning move I did on that Gigas about a month ago."

"He is right, Junpei."

"Chidori why?"

* * *

><p>I spent half of the rest of the time sparring in the tower trying to not have blunt, backside chain axe bruises left all over my torso and Hamuko managed to make a crater deep enough for Yukari to sit on Akihiko's shoulders with about another five feet between her and the ceiling. Apparently it was a move her mom showed her that her grandfather invented. The surprise on her face makes me worry that she didn't know it would do that. In other terrifying news, Ken's proven agile enough to pinball around Shinjiro and only barely risk taking a hit, Akihiko forgot Thunder Punch and learned Thunder, Yukari can snipe ice blasts from Mitsuru out of the air the split second after they appear, and Junpei has decided that 'fuck swords, I'm gonna beat everything up with a fuckin' baseball bat' is now going to be his MO for Shadow Slaying when he's not just using Trismegistus on everything.<p>

Anyways, the next day was a simple, normal-ish affair outside of Shinjiro suddenly forgetting how to cook long enough to nearly set himself on fire... though given how apologetic Hamuko looked for the next three hours, I suspect it was her fault more than his. On the 28th, though, everyone was acting normal, but under the surface we were all tense as hell. Three days till New Years Eve. Mitsuru certainly seemed to want to get her mind off of it, and since Aki was out walking Koromaru with Fuuka, I got to play the part of the distraction by way of motorcycle lessons. In a related story, riding a motorcycle is REALLY GODDAMN FUN.

"So how was that?" I asked, taking off the helmet Mitsuru had given me. She'd said hands-on experience would be good on top of reading the book on how to operate a motorbike, so she had me drive around the block a couple times while she used her scanning ability to make sure I wasn't fucking it up.

"Not bad. Somewhat uneasy on the turns, though."

I laughed nervously. "Yeah... I think I'm a little too big for your bike, so I didn't wanna lean to much and crash."

"Ah, I see..." she hummed.

"...Still can't quite get it off your mind?"

Mitsuru sighed. "Unfortunately. The best we've been able to do is prepare, but... is there an actual plan for what we're going to do?"

"We make plans?"

She just glared at me.

"I'm kidding! Geez..." I said, getting off the bike. "But as far as plans go, all I've got is basically 'attempt magical science on Ryoji' in simplest terms."

"...And in more complex ones?"

"Well, between having had Death sealed in me for ten years, Death itself looking like it's probably part god, and the vaguely sentient watchdog Persona that wriggles around inside my head whenever I mention him, I'm going to see if I can piggyback off of what Ryoji did to leave Thanatos in my head to potentially at least get Ryoji's mind into the Persona, leaving the 'body' of Death to wander off to call Nyx." I explained. "The next part of that plan involves seeing if I can gather bits and pieces of Shadows and enlist help from the Velvet Room to give Ryoji a new body."

Mitsuru hummed again, nodding slowly. "Not quite the most complex plan, and you'd only have one shot to get it right..."

"If it would even work in the first place." I noted. "But given the track record most of us have for insane plans, I'd wager it'll work. Sure we'll still have to fight Nyx, but we'll basically have a demigod of Death on our side so that's gotta count for something."

"I would hope so, but time will tell I suppose..." A soft sigh escaped her. "...I just hope everything manages to work out in the end. Father seems... exhausted. He's never been proud of the fact the only ones capable of fighting Shadows are children."

I arched an eyebrow. "That's... wrong? I mean, there's Shinjiro's aunt and uncle and everyone they worked with, but I'm assuming they're not doing it because of other reasons likely tied to their whole... well, condition with their Personae."

"You would be correct. Even with the sheer power of my mother or the likes of Hayate-san and Roland, it would be inefficient to have such talented scientists occupy themselves with combating Shadows directly."

"And since the Dark Hour is late at night, they'd have to adapt to weird schedules on top of potentially continuing their day jobs and or research..." I noted. "Meanwhile, teens like us already have weird as hell sleep cycles and can somewhat more easily manage getting by on two or three weird nights of sleep a week."

Mitsuru nodded. "He still never liked it... in fact, mother once told me he was beside himself with grief for several days after I awoke Penthesilea..."

"And what about when your mom's lab went dark for however long shit was going wrong there?"

She tensed slightly. "...He didn't sleep well the night it happened, but when his assistant at the time barged in on Father and I having lunch to tell us that mother had managed to send out at least one report on the situation, however poor the quality, the relief on his face seemed as thought it was coming off of him in tangible waves... but how did you know the facility went dark?"

"I guessed." I admitted. "It seemed likely if there were a bunch of god-complex assholes and unfortunately mutated bystanders loose in the place. Did he try to send in someone to help them?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "No. Even if details on Atma-class Personae weren't fully given until after the incident, the fact mother was alive put him at ease, given the extent of her abilities." A small smile curled onto her lips. "He's said I take after her in that respect more than once."

"Hah, good to know he was confident in your mom's skill then..." I said, then I paused. "Speaking of which, what the actual fuck IS a Hari-Hara? I mean I've gotten some esoteric as hell Personae from Igor's fusion methods, but nothing quite like that."

"It is... I believe a Hindu deity that is supposed to represent the unity of the gods Vishnu and Shiva." she replied. "If I recall correctly, it could be compared to Nyx in terms of its place among Hindu gods."

I blinked. "...Holy fucking shit, your mom does NOT goof around."

"Oh, she does... just not often."

"Much like you?"

I never thought I'd see one of those smartass knowing smirks on Mitsuru's face, but there it was right before she answered. "Perhaps."

"And now I'm at one of those moments in my life where I really don't wanna know, but at the same time I really do." I said. "Like why Akihiko always looks jumpy if you go near that Nintendo Wii that's been in the lounge since before I got to the dorm."

"...You don't want to know. You really, really don't."

Eyebrow. "And if I ask someone else?"

"Akihiko will never tell you, and Shinjiro will laugh himself unconscious before he'll ever give you a straight answer."

I just stared. "...What the hell did you do, break three plates and an accountant with a Wii Remote?"

"Trust me on this, Roy." Mitsuru stated. "You really do not want to know."

"...You used my first name. The last time you used my first name was when you introduced me to the Student Council. Why am I now afraid?"

"Because the rational part of you is what you should be listening to."

I stared at Mitsuru. "Since when the hell did rational thinking have any place in anything I do?"

"Running from the Reaper."

"Rational thinking and genuine terror are not the same things. Besides, did you SEE me sassing the Reaper the last time I dealt with the guy?"

She hummed, tapping her chin lightly. "...Point taken. I'll be honest, when we first met I was expecting someone more... terrifying."

"Why?" I asked. "...Wait, exactly how long did you know I was an Oni, or did it not come up at all till someone else mentioned it like a month later or some shit?"

"I had some suspicions you weren't fully human since the night you arrived at the dorm." replied Mitsuru. "It wasn't until Akihiko and Shinjiro conversed about it that I deciphered what they were."

"Alright, makes sense... and was there any particular reason you tried to brush off me calling you out on the Dark Hour that night?"

"Would you have wanted to risk a fight with someone of your stature after reading your file?"

"Not really, no..."

She smiled. "So there's your answer."

"I really was honestly too tired to argue that night." I said. "Staying up for most of a day and then getting on a flight that takes you backwards like thirteen hours due to timezones is killer on the sleep cycle."

"You mean forwards, Fortune." Mitsuru noted. "Japan is technically ahead of the West Coast of the US by... fifteen to sixteen hours, I believe."

"Yeah but I flew BACKWARDS through the damn timezones."

It was rare to see Mitsuru roll her eyes, but it just happened. "It's semantics regardless, and if Iori was listening we might hurt his brain..."

"He's smarter than you give him credit for, you know."

"I know, but math seems to be one of his weaker subjects."

"Wow, we are all about subverting the Ice Queen persona in this conversation, aren't we Senpai?" I laughed. "If it wasn't for the snowball fight on Yakushima, I'd have never thought you had it in you."

She huffed. "Are you saying I don't know how to have fun?"

"No, I'm saying you scare people to the point that I'm almost positive there's a rumor at Gekkoukan that your good looks come from the fact you literally drain the fun out of other people."

"I don't do that!"

"I know, but there's likely a rumor about why out there."

"What's next, a girls love obsessed fan?"

"Oh, so you HAVE met Kaname-san."

"...What."

**CRASH**

"WOW."

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Empress Arcana..._

"Wow what?"

"Whoever is in charge of the spooky voices has a very strange sense of humor..."

"...They struck again?"

"Eyup."

Mitsuru sighed heavily, rubbing her temple slightly. "They should be glad they're disembodied..."

"Get in line, I've got first dibs on punching them."

* * *

><p>In related news, there's apparently some kind of glowy, nocturnal blue butterfly species native to Japan since one flew past me and Mitsuru in what seemed like a big hurry for a bug. Weird. Anyhow, the last few days leading up to New Years just seemed to drag on no matter what I did. Even me and Junpei just getting completely absorbed in a video game only knocked an hour off the clock at a time, and since visiting the Velvet Room works in the span of 'no time outside but like three hours inside' because magic, it just slowly slid by until it was New Years Eve proper. Now, me being me and thus wanting to cut to the chase and all that shit, I'd intended to recruit Aigis in helping me drag Ryoji straight to the dorm after school. This got instantly derailed when I found him and Fuuka at the shoe lockers about to leave, talking about what they were going to do at the arcade at the mall before they left the school while holding hands.<p>

I didn't have the heart to ruin what could be their last moments together before everything goes down tonight. Hell, I'm writing this as I wait for them to get back... it's nearly 11:40 now. Hopefully they'll get here soon... but goddamn, I'm amazed I wrote all this so quickly. Must be me getting used to typing so damn much...

* * *

><p>I looked up from my laptop as the door of the dorm opened.<p>

"Hey." said Ryoji, a sad smile on his face as he walked into the dorm with Fuuka. "Long time no see, everyone."

I saved the Journal file I was working on and shut my laptop off. "Hasn't been that long."

"It has since we last talked about this..." he noted as Fuuka reluctantly shuffled over to a seat on the couch. She glanced at me and it was obvious she was hoping my plan would work, otherwise she was probably going to break down sobbing on the spot.

"Indeed." agreed Mitsuru grimly.

"...At midnight, I'll no longer have the form you see now." said Ryoji, not facing anyone. "I'll become something unrecognizable... but, knowing all of you, you've reached a decision, haven't you?"

"You'd be surprised what options Roy can come up with." stated Hamuko.

He chuckled weakly. "I don't doubt it. I've been in his head, after all. It is a very silly place." With a heavy sigh, he walked towards the stairs. "...I'll be waiting in his room... in case you want to go over things one more time."

Junpei stepped aside as Ryoji passed, only looking back at the rest of us once the scarf-clad Shadow had gone upstairs.

"And you're sure this crazy scheme of yours is gonna work, Roy?" he asked me seriously.

"As sure as I'll ever be." I replied. "Only got once shot at it anyways, may as well go all in."

"And what if it doesn't work? What then?"

I looked at Ken and shrugged. "No idea. Practically anything, if everything I think is going on is actually going on. Could be nothing, could speed up the end of it all. Won't know till I try."

"It's almost poetic." Aigis noted. "A calculated plan ten years in the making could all fall apart because of one, big gamble."

I gave a weak laugh as I stood up. "Well, I'm not A Fool Named Fortune for nothing. Time to see if my luck holds out."

* * *

><p>The walk to my room felt like the longest twenty or so seconds of my life. The weight of everything that depended on this finally came crashing down on me all at once. I never thought that I'd end up having potentially the fate of the world hinged on a plan I didn't even know would work.<p>

-Talk about betting blind...- I thought as I opened the door. "Hey."

"Hey." he replied, having seated himself on my bed while he was waiting. "Been a long time since we talked like this in your room, hasn't it? I was still Pharos back then..."

"And as much as I'd like to wax nostalgic, we don't really have the time." I said. "So I'm gonna cut to the chase; I may have found you a way out."

Ryoji blinked, tilting his head to one side in confusion. "...Say what?"

"You left it with me, actually." I noted, approaching the bed. "Thanatos."

"Thanatos...? But, that was just..."

"When I told Igor how I got him, he stopped smiling, Ryoji. His grin vanished and he was beyond confused as to how I was able to summon it in the form it has."

"What?"

I gave him a very serious look. "You left Thanatos to watch out for me. He saved my ass big time, and y'know what, I aim to return the favor."

"How?" He asked. "I'm not some all powerful being, Roy. I'm a Shadow-"

"-And Igor himself said that the only way I could've gotten Thanatos in the form the one you gave me has would be if someone either very closely related to the actual Thanatos or the big bad god of death himself gave it to me." I said, cutting him off. "So there's more to you than just being a mass of Shadows. How else do you explain your being able to transfer into Gekkoukan when you changed from Pharos to Ryoji?"

"But it doesn't make any sense! I can't be some kind of demi-god!"

I threw up my arms. "Well, you are! I mean, Nyx is nothing if not a loving mother. If the Kirijo Group of olden days wanted to get her to show up and wipe out humanity, cloning one of her kids was probably the best way to go."

"It can't even be the real Nyx!"

I looked at him. "Hito-Shura seemed to think it could. She has apparently been hiding out somewhere with a, and I quote 'good view of the stars' for a few thousand years, and Thanatos himself has been MIA for who knows how long. And if the scientists who started the project that created you jus thought Thanatos was merely a powerful Shadow and, say, tore roughly the equivalent of a human thigh off of him and threw it into the Shadow vat..."

"...Then I really could be a demi-god..." he said, sounding absolutely dumbfounded by the notion. "But... but how would I get out of this? Once midnight hits, my body is going to fade into the Dark Hour and disappear!"

I grinned. "Well, remember what Aigis did to you all those years ago?"

"...You're not serious."

"Oh I am."

"How would it even work?"

"Well, according to what Aigis wrote about what happened with my Shadow, the Thanatos Persona you left with me puppetted my unconscious body long enough to keep it from killing me, then evoke itself to attack it." I reported. "So it's sentient enough to act as a proper guardian. The plan is to basically switch out the sentience it has for your mind, then go heckle Igor and Elizabeth about getting you a new body."

He stared at me. "And how would they pull that off?"

"Well in theory, they'd take the Thanatos Persona with your mind in it and fuse it with that sack of spare Shadow Parts I've been collecting out of habit in case Elizabeth is gonna ask for any of them to pull off some kind of ass backwards Persona fusion thing that leads to you having a body again."

Ryoji was silent for a whole, solid minute.

"...Will this plan even work?"

"Won't know unless we try. There is no possible way you'll ever get me to kill you anyways, so it's either A. attempt to wiggle out of your fate and fight what's coming with us or B. Leave and go mutate into whatever the hell you're gonna mutate into." I said. "And we both know how that second one is gonna end."

He bit his lip, and I could see him weighing all the options in his head. All the myriad ways this could go wrong against how desperately he wanted it to work. In the end, though, something won out.

"...Do it."

"Do what?"

"Get me the hell out of this sorry excuse for a body." He said in the most unflinching tone I've ever heard him use. "If there's even the slimmest of chances your plan is gonna work, I'd rather roll the dice to see if it does before I just resign myself to being an accessory to fucking global genocide."

I grinned. "Then hold still, I'm sorta wingin' it off of what Igor said would be the best way to do it."

Ryoji's expression fell from determined to terrified. "Wait, what-"

In a split second, I gabbed him by the head with Thanatos' Persona card in the palm of my hand. I'm not even sure how to describe what the hell happened beyond some weird, semi silent, semi psychic yelling and a lot of swirling blue energy. And also Ryoji's body death gripping my arm to the point I was worried I'd have to break his hands to get him to let go. It went on for about three minutes before I got some kind of backlash and stumbled away from Ryoji, Persona card in hand while what hopefully was the now former body of one of my closest friends was laying on the bed.

"...Ryoji?"

Silence.

"Hey, you still with me?"

No answer.

"Answer me you little shit or I'm gonna strangle you with your own scarf!"

"IT WORKED!"

"GAH" I jumped and almost slammed into my closet... because now there were two of Ryoji, one of which was standing next to me. "HOLY SHIT"

"It worked, Roy!" He said, looking at me. "I'm back in your head!"

I stared at him before the biggest grin curled its way onto my face. Cue spontaneously invented overly complicated secret handshake maneuver between an Oni and what was currently a ghost of a demi-god.

**CRASH**

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"Hey, perfect timing!"

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Tower Arcana hath been set free..._

"I wonder what you'll get this time..."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Zeus, the Ultimate-_

"WHOA WHAT NO!" I shouted. "No, fuck that! I don't want the god of literally fucking things up hanging out in my head!"

I will never forget the sound of the frustrated, disembodied sigh I heard after I said that.

_Alright, fine, how about Kraken then?_

"...Yes. Excellent."

_Very well. We bestow upon thee the ability to create Kraken, the Ultimate for of the Tower Arcana..._

"...Did you just BARGIN with the spooky voices for a different Persona?"

"I think I did, Ryoji. Cannot say I was expecting that."

He looked over at his former body on the bed. "...Hey, you awake?"

It groaned, then sat up.

"...I... think...?" it said, voice slightly distorted. "I am not... used to this form..."

I looked at Ryoji. "How sentient did you make it?"

"I... don't know? It was like leaving behind a piece of my consciousness about the size of an eraser on a pencil."

"I am aware of what has transpired."

We both turned back to the former 'Thanatos' Persona.

"I am to be the replacement as the Appraiser of Nyx." it said, the voice stabilizing to sound near exactly like Ryoji's own. "I will comply."

"...Is it supposed to sound like Aigis back when we first met her?"

Ryoji shrugged. "Search me. It's really just a fragment of a personality..."

"I have enough awareness to fulfill the final request of my creator." stated the fragment. "To allow him to protect those most important to him..."

It paused, then looked towards the clock.

"...There is no time remaining."

I looked over my shoulder.

11:55pm.

"...Yeah. Let's head back down, then."

* * *

><p>"Yo! What's up, Ryoji?" Junpei asked once we came back into the lobby.<p>

"An... objectively unfortunate decision, but it was not mine to make." replied the fragment.

A few curious glances were exchanged. I was surprised nobody said anything.

"...That's right." stated Yukari after several moments.

"To challenge Nyx... it is a feat I cannot fathom." said the fragment. "But... I believe you may have the power to tip the balance in your favor."

Akihiko smirked confidently. "So you're saying it's not impossible?"

"Few, if any, things in life are impossible." it replied, glancing at the clock. "...Alas, my time is at an end."

"W-Wait!" exclaimed Fuuka as the fragment approached the door. "Can't you tell us anything about how to fight Nyx?"

It shook its head. "No... I'm afraid it is not for me to say." It slipped off Ryoji's trademark yellow scarf, then handed it to Fuuka. "It is his. I have my own part to play."

Everyone but me was confused as the fragment opened the front door, pausing before he started to step outside.

"...Best wishes in the coming year." it said over it shoulder. "And may the fates smile upon you."

It stepped outside without another word, and within moments the Dark Hour struck.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" bellowed Ryoji, exploding into existence next to me... as the Thanatos Persona. He seemed to realize it a moment later. "Oh gods damn it, really?"

"...What the fuck?" asked Shinjiro, just staring at the floating Persona.

"...Ryoji?"

"Yes, it's me!" He replied cheerfully. The fact he now had a face that didn't move made it spooky. "I'd hug you if I wasn't worried about hitting you on the head with this mask..."

Junpei, Hamuko, and Mitsuru all turned to look at me.

"...It worked..." said my best friend, sounding flabbergasted.

"Your plan..." began Hamuko.

"...Actually worked...?" Mitsuru finished.

I grinned. "Hey, tarot cards may predict the future, but there ain't no rule about deciding to Reshuffle The Deck."

"...I'm pretty sure there is, Roy."

"I don't think he cares anyways."

"You can just shush, Ryoji."

**CRASH**

"JESUS FUCK What do you voices want this time?"

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"Did you hear them before?"

"When I was talking to Ryoji, but right now I think they're chatting about something else now..."

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Fool Arcana hath been set free..._

"Hey, about time the Fool Link capped out. Lazy bastards..."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Khonsu, the Ultimate Form of the Fool Arcana..._

"...The hell is Khonsu?"

"I think that's an Egyptian Deity..." said Hamuko. "The god of Travelers and the Moon."

"Eh, I'll Google it once the Dark Hour's over."

**CRASH**

"HOLY SHIT WHAT-"

_I am thou... and thou art I..._

"What're you screaming about now?"

_Thou hast established a new bond..._

"What the fuck do you MEAN I've made a new one? What the hell arcana is it this time?"

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Judgement Arcana..._

"Oh. Neat. Got Judgement finally."

"So, finally at least established ones of every Arcana?" asked Ryoji. "Took you long enough."

"Oh shut up, you don't have a frame of reference and we're burning Dark Hour so come on and let's get going."

Koromaru barked in confusion.

"Where are you going?" asked Akihiko.

I looked back as Ryoji's persona form vanished.

"Tartarus, duh." I replied, hefting the bag of Shadow Remains over my shoulder. "Probably best to get the whole 'Get Ryoji a new body' thing done before morning so he can enjoy New Years with us."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes -<strong> Why yes, I have had that whole thing with Ryoji and the Thanatos Persona planned for a long time, why do you ask? Mwehehehe...


	34. New Year Wishes

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**KHforager** - Those actually aren't the gloves from the picture you made, Roy literally just got his own set of Akihiko's semi-trademark leather gloves. He does currently use ones like those you drew in Tartarus right now, he just hasn't specifically mentioned it because at least to him it's not super important what is covering his hands when he's smashing things.

**Delta XIII** - At this point, it's not so much 'Hax' as it is 'this is just how this world works'. The world of Reshuffled and Golden Moon is very strange, what with gods, youkai, and other such supernatural things existing in it.

**Evilshroom** - I never said Akemi wasn't into that sort of thing or that Kaname wasn't in the archery club. The only thing of note with them is that a certain white cat thing doesn't exist in his world. Now that just begs the question of where the other three are, doesn't it? Hehehe... but yeah it's really just some shout outs for the sake of lols. If you wanna believe they're the actual characters that were being referenced though... well, I'm certainly not going to stop anybody.

**A Jack Frost Guy** - Nope. Messiah isn't a Persona that Roy can summon. His Ultimate Persona IS the Ultimate Judgement Persona and will be appearing next chapter. Also... the 'Nyx' Avatar is going to be ah... quite different come January 31st. All I can say is that they better hope this god doesn't eat them. Mwehehehe...

**The Worldwalker** - The Great Seal is still going to be a thing that happens, yes, but as you can probably tell by reading the first chapter of Golden Moon(the P4 sequel to Reshuffled), something potentially good happened with it. You'll get to find out what once this story gets to the Answer. As for your comment about Yakumo Yukari... well, all I can say is 'NOPE' and let this chapter speak for itself.

**cloudfightback** - I have literally wanted to write that scene for over six months and the fact it was that amusing to someone is the best thing I could've been in formed of. Because really, I'm not sure Roy could've been more against the idea of having anything to do with Zeus unless the guy was hitting on Aigis... in which case we'd get to find out if Roy can put a god in a body cast.

Once more, thanks to **PuppeteerOfHearts**, **Ella Lucarita**, and **ScarfDrilbur **for helping me get this done! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"Okay, I got the stuff, Igor. Now what?"<p>

"Well, this process will require all of my concentration and that of my assistant. Unfortunately, attempting to utilize the remains of Shadows in this way could prove... dangerous."

"How?"

"They could reanimate and attack, Master Roy. You will have to protect us while we aid your friend."

"Sweet, so I get to ring in the new year by punching a monster in the crotch so it stops struggling. Lovely."

"Could be worse."

"Shut up, Ryoji."

* * *

><p>If not for the fact that being in the Velvet Room means time doesn't pass outside, I've have probably ended up stuck in Tartarus that night. In a related story, I had to suplex Ryoji's new body before he could get into it because there was enough consciousness from the shadows that they tried to attack me. He's only moderately annoyed by the lump on his new head. Fuuka was just happy to see him walk in the front door with me once we got back... though she did have a question.<p>

"Was... that Thanatos?" she asked as the two of us walked in.

"Yeah." I replied. In a related story, using a flying Persona like Thanatos to get back to the dorm quickly is fun. "Why?"

"But... Ryoji summoned it..."

"It came with the new body on account of my mind being in it." he said sheepishly. "So Roy doesn't have that version anymore."

Mitsuru, who was one of the only other people still awake, looked over at him curiously. "That version...?"

"Igor said something about me being able to summon a different looking Thanatos Persona, but I'm not strong enough to do it yet." I reported. "So the one you guys have seen up till now is Ryoji's."

Akihiko hummed. "Interesting... so he'll be able to fight then as well?"

"Well yeah. I love this world and the people in it!" Ryoji stated with absolute certainty. "I'll do whatever I can to help stop Nyx!"

"Good. You'll also be moving into the dorm."

-...On one hand, awesome. On the other hand...-

"I'll get to stay here? YES!"

"Calm thyself, Ryoji."

He span towards me and then-

"YOU CANNOT CALM ME!" He proclaimed, then he started flailing his arms a little in my direction. "I DO NOT ANSWER TO YOUUUU!"

There was just a long, awkward pause as everyone stared at Ryoji for a moment. Fuuka was the first one to act.

"Come with me." She said, walking over and grabbing him by the ear.

"Ow ow OW OW OW!" he sputtered as Fuuka lead him to and then up the stairs.

"...Why did she...?"

I looked at Mitsuru. "Why do you think?"

It's always funny when Mitsuru's face turns a shade of red close to that of her own hair. She's totally going to hurt me for thinking so, but it's worth it.

* * *

><p>I just went up and collapsed on my bed after that. Having to deal with supernatural shenanigans involving shoving a demi-god back into your head only to pull him out twenty minutes later is killer on your stamina apparently. I woke up a little late, took a shower, got dressed, then meandered down to the dining room. Akihiko, Ryoji, and Shinjiro were already there and eating pancakes.<p>

"It's weird seeing him here this early in the day." commented Shinjiro, glancing at Ryoji for a moment. "And if you want some, they're on the counter in the kitchen."

"Oh hell yes I do." I said, hopping over the bar and into the kitchen.

"Happy New Year, Senpai!"

"Happy New Year to you too, Ken." I called out as I got myself some friggin' pancakes.

"And you, Koro."

The sound of staggering steps coming down informed me the idiot that is my best friend was conscious now.

"Man, I completely overslept... serves me right for watching that stupid Amazon movie..."

I gave Junpei a look as I stepped out of the kitchen. "Why were you even watching an Amazon movie?"

"Couldn't sleep, and at two am it seemed a lot more entertaining than it actually was..." he replied as I sat down. "And hey, looks like everything worked out okay last night, huh?"

"Mmhm." hummed Ryoji. "Came with a Persona as well, so I can help fight."

"Sweet! What do you have?"

"Thanatos."

Akihiko let out a short chuckle. "Fitting... but does anyone know where the girls are?"

"I do. I woke up because Koro was at my door, and they were about to head to the shrine." reported Ken. "They were all wearing kimonos as well."

The next ten seconds were completely devoid of sound besides the breathing of six people, four of whom were eating pancakes, and a dog.

"...So hey, anyone wanna go to the Shrine once we're done eating?" I asked.

"I'll go." "Sure." "Yeah!" "Hell yeah! Lemme just get some food real quick." "Arf!"

* * *

><p>I've never seen people eat that fast in my entire life and not choke on anything. Even Shinji was surprised. Didn't take us long to head to the shrine, and it looks like we got there just in time; the girls were waiting for us near the entrance and god DAMN it was a sight to behold.<p>

"Happy New Year!" Yukari said as we approached. "Let's all do our very best this year! I'm surprised, though. I figured you guys would be later than you were..."

"You clearly don't understand how motivated guys can be at the most random of times." I said, completely poker faced. "Clearly."

Hamuko giggled. "Oh, I think I do..."

-Of course you do, Hamuko.- I thought, looking between the girls.

Fuuka had on a teal kimono with a sort of floral pattern on it and... I don't even remember what the sash thing is called but hers had a pattern that looked like ancient cave drawings to me on it. Mitsuru's kimono was black with a simpler red sash thing with a yellow pattern on it and her hair was tied back into a bun. It was surprising to see Yukari in a dull red kimono, but then I saw the pink sash and hair decorations and all was right with the world. Hamuko's was a simple, bright orange with floral pins in her hair and a teal sash. Aigis had on a pink one with a purple sash, and I'm amazed they managed to get some ribbons onto the metal hairband thing she has. Chidori stood out the most, though, in a dull, simple light gray kimono with red flowers on it and a vibrant red sash that seemed to have the outline of a phoenix on it, and a similar firebird styled hairpin with her hair tied back as well.

My opinion on all of this? Best New Years ever.

"Akihiko... please stop staring..."

"H-Huh? Oh, uh... s-sorry Mitsuru..."

"Um, I've never worn a kimono before..." commented Fuuka, looking a little uneasy. "Does my sash look okay...?"

"Yes. Yes it does."

I adjusted my jacket slightly and glanced at Ryoji. "Says the most biased person who could answer the question."

"I'm still amazed this fits so well..." said Chidori, looking over herself. "...I haven't had something like this since I was a little girl..."

"And now... well, you're quite the woman, Chidori."

-Wow her face got red in short order...-

"Look at you, Junpei!" said Hamuko, nudging him with her elbow. "Laying on the charm. You been taking lessons from Roy and Ryoji?"

"Better than the alternative..." said Yukari.

"Like what, asking if girls really don't wear anything under kimonos?"

"HAMUKO!"

She looked at Shinjiro with an innocent smile. "Yes~?"

I swear I could taste the frustration in the air as he just glared at her, keeping his mouth shut because I think everyone knows he'd just walk right into something with that... Not that I particularly want to find out what Hamuko might've been implying.

We ended up hanging around for about another hour or two before we grouped up around the front of the shrine after we made a wish for the coming year.

"Hey, Fuuka... what did you wish for?"

"Oh, um... I wished for a great year." She replied sheepishly. "It's a little generic, but that's what I really want."

Mitsuru chuckled. "I said the same thing."

"Hah... so we all wished for the same thing?" asked Yukari.

"I think I aimed a little farther than that." I laughed, scratching the back of my head. "Might've asked for too much, actually..."

I got a few odd looks at that before Ryoji spoke up.

"What did you wish for?"

"Well... I wished that I'd never lose you guys."

"...You are the most sentimental dork I've ever met, Roy." said Hamuko. "Really."

"I can't help it! You guys are the most amazing people I've ever met!"

Chidori scoffed. "You say that like being called sentimental is a bad thing."

"It's the 'dork' part I was slightly offended by."

That seemed to amuse Shinji and Akihiko, as they started laughing as my phone went off. Yukari gave me a worried look.

"Isn't that ringtone for...?"

"Yeah. It's for Elizabeth..." I said before I put the phone to my ear. "What's up, Liz?"

_["Good day, Master Roy."]_ greeted Elizabeth, her ever whimsical tone sending an odd shiver down my spine. _["I'm calling to inform you of a change in Tartarus. I believe the path to the next section of the tower has opened."]_

"Is that so? How high up do you think it goes?"

_["I suspect it will take you almost to the top of the spire, though I can sense one more barrier remains between the opened path and the highest floors of the tower."]_

"Hrm. Good to know. Thanks, Liz."

_["You are quite welcome, Master Roy."]_ She replied. _["Oh, and do keep your wits about you in this new section. The last artifact I requested you locate is within the newly accessible area."]_

"Alright, I'll watch out for it then."

_["Have a pleasant day."]_

I snapped my phone shut. "So. Looks like we can get further along in the tower now..."

"So we're heading there tonight, then?" asked Ken. "We do need to show Ryoji-san the ropes..."

"I know the ropes, I got to see the inside of that place for nine months."

Junpei just put a hand on Ryoji's shoulder. "You ain't seen nothin' in there for two months. Sorry newbie, but we gotta break you in."

"...Roy...?"

"You heard him. We must break you."

I shouldn't have been so amused by the scared, whimpering noise he made when I said that.

* * *

><p>In a related story, on the way to Tartarus that night...<p>

"WAIT, YOU'RE AN ONI?"

"You were stuck in his head for ten years and never noticed?"

"It's not like he's got a giant sign in there that says he is!"

"So there was a place in there?"

"It was some kind of metaphysical mind scape or something. It turned into a casino a few years after I first got there, and I was able to get out once he came back to Japan..."

"...I have a casino in my brain?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That's fucking awesome."

* * *

><p>In another related story, Hamuko was also pouting because nobody would let her to go Tartarus in her Kimono. Probably for the best, really. The new section of Tartarus, apparently dubbed 'Adamah', was interesting. It looked like it was made of giant silvery crystals. Hamuko's persona almost completely blends in here. If not for her hair and dress, I might not even know she summoned it aside from her calling its name. There was also some surprisingly good news a little ways into the section, too.<p>

"How much further till the next Guardian, Yamagishi?"

_{Not far, but...} _She trailed off before she suddenly sounded more intense. _{...I can only sense five more Guardian-level Shadows in the tower!}_

"Just five?"

_{Yes! We've almost defeated them all!}_

"Hmph. These ones won't make it easy on us if they're this high up..." noted Akihiko.

"Doesn't mean we can't rip them apart." retorted Ryoji, swinging the sword he was carrying around. "Ugh, I'm not used to the weight on this thing..."

"I'm surprised you didn't ask for a scythe..."

He laughed. "I almost did Shinjiro-san, but a simple one handed blade suits me better I think."

"And not at all because a scythe is fairly impractical and none of us could teach you how to use one properly?"

"Hush, Roy."

**CRASH**

"...Okay Judgement, you're already a weird link and you've only been around for like two days."

"Bet you anything it's gonna get weirder."

"That's not even something you can bet on, man. I fucking KNOW it's gonna get weirder."

* * *

><p>We eventually found the first of the final five Guardian floors, and unfortunately Akihiko turned out to be right; The bastards were not going to make it easy on us. On the upside, more Personae I've got have been coughing up useful items that nullify certain attacks, so I passed one that should work against fire to Mitsuru.<p>

"Stay behind me!" shouted Mitsuru as Akihiko scrambled out of the way of a crazy strong ice attack from one of the Shadows, 'Noble Seekers' according to Fuuka, before it semi vanished again.

The 'Seeker' type of Shadows always creep me out. Not because they're disembodied heads with three birds carrying eyeballs following them around, but because when they're not attacking or being attacked, they look like they're just a collection of floating eyeballs that keep moving around a Hermit Shadow Mask.

"Senpai, how's that pendant working out?" I called out, switching Personas to bounce a wind blast back the the Seeker that decided it didn't like me the most.

"Excellently!" reported Mitsuru as a blast of fire fizzled harmlessly off of her. "Mochizuki, watch out!"

Ryoji darted to one side to avoid a lightning blast before he threw his arm out. "THANATOS!"

The god of death erupted from an azure blaze and reared back with a mighty roar, the coffins that made up its 'cape' opening before a mighty green whirlwind exploded in the center of the Shadows. It seemed to hit them pretty damn hard, but they're nothing if not resilient assholes.

"Persona!"

They also seem to be very adept at dodging physical attacks, much to the annoyance of Shinjiro as two of them managed to avoid getting hit by Vaisravana.

"Tch, damn it... Hey, Aki!" he said, looking towards his best friend. "I think now's a good time to stop screwing around and cut loose!"

"I'm not sure that's wise!" replied Mitsuru, sounding concerned.

"We'll be here all night if I don't!"

"WHAT THE FUCK" I shouted in surprise as Akihiko darted out from behind Mitsuru and transformed into fucking GIGANTIC WOLF and tackled one of the Shadows with a feral growl. The Shadow made some kind of shouting noise in response, only for Akihiko to presumably channel about fifty Ziodynes into it because it was swiftly electrocuted to death.

"The clock tower has sounded!"

Apparently not one to be quite as distracted by the fact Akihiko TURNED INTO A WOLF, Ryoji summoned Thanatos again, but this time there was like... three orange and black explosions in between the two remaining Seekers, which seemed to leave one of them dazed and the other one seemed afraid.

"Do not be frightened, for it matters not who you are..." Ryoji continued as inky blue and black smoke started to leak out of Thanatos' coffins. "...Death awaits you."

The scared looking shadow was promptly swallowed up my the smoke with a terrified shriek before it withdrew back into the coffins and the persona disappeared.

"Last one's mine!" called out Shinjiro, rushing up and bringing his axe down on it like a ton of bricks. Pretty sure he used that Power Charge move of his first, which would explain why the ground where the Shadow had been was cracked up so bad. "Tch... 'bout time you actually mauled something, Aki."

The wolf just growled before a swirl of silvery light surrounded it and Akihiko was back to normal.

"I SAY AGAIN!" I began, getting the attention of everyone else. "WHAT. THE FUCK."

"I said it wasn't a good idea, Shinjiro." stated Mitsuru with a pointed tone.

"Knew he'd yell, though."

"Please stop avoiding the question."

Shinji just rolled his eyes. "He's half wolf youkai, Roy."

"HOW? Aren't wolves supposed to be extinct in Japan?"

"Real ones, yeah... but youkai? A few still hang around. Dad was one of them."

I blinked. "...So wait, then the shrine keeper grandson has been best friends with a half wolf since he was like five?"

"Three, but yeah. Why?"

"THAT. EXPLAINS. SO FUCKING MUCH."

Akihiko seemed confused. "...You're not mad?"

"A little, yes, because again this is one of those things that would be nice to know sooner..." I said. "But at the same time, letting people know you're an outfit change, three years of growing your hair out, and probably a headband away from being an almost perfect cosplay of an anime character casually probably isn't the best idea."

"He was a dog, not a wolf."

"Semantics, Ryoji! And why isn't this surprising to YOU?"

"Because I knew already and never told you?"

"WHAT"

He held up his hands. "Hey, I got pretty bored sometimes when I was still Pharos, okay? You can't blame me for finding out stuff while wandering around the dorm-"

Mitsuru was right up in front of Ryoji in about a half second.

"What exactly did you see?" She asked.

"I had common decency! And I thought more like a ten year old then; Do YOU see many ten year old kids acting like perverts?"

"This is Japan, dude."

"I'M EFFECTIVELY HALF GREEK, ROY!"

"Aki's always been a giant pillow anyways, so..."

I just threw my hands up. "Fuck it, we're moving on. I need to step on like ten monsters or something, I'm just done with this."

"Poor guy's finally, legitimately cracked..."

"I heard that!"

**CRASH**

"YOU ARE NOT HELPING RIGHT NOW, JUDGEMENT."

* * *

><p>We kept going up the tower, the Judgement link pestering me a couple more times; once after we climbed a few floors, then again after we slaughtered the next Guardian. I called a pit stop after that one and headed back down to switch up the group a little and also switch around Personas. Got a nifty one out of the Chariot Arcana, but I'll get to that guy later. Once I headed back up with some people who weren't half worn out, we stumbled upon something else.<p>

"Why is there an umbrella up here?" asked Junpei, poking the stand it was on with his bat.

"If I had to guess, since this room looks like those other ones, it's the last thing Elizabeth wanted..." I replied, picking it up. Frilly lookin' thing with some red ribbons on it. "...Wonder what's so special about it..."

"Uh, I wouldn't do that if-"

Out of sheer, stupid curiosity, I opened it as Junpei tried to warn me. Inside the parasol was a black void with numerous, disembodied red eyes staring at me.

It took all of two seconds of that for me to snap it shut and shove it into a card. "Nope."

"What's wrong?"

"Nope." I said, walking away from the stand.

"Roy, are you-"

"NOPE."

Keeping THAT out of my mind was thankfully very easy as we fought our way up to the next Guardian. Fuuka said it was called the World Balance, but as far as I was concerned, it was 'That annoying asshole scale bastard who explodes the battlefield with whatever the fuck it wants because it's a prick'.

"GAH!"

"Junpei!" Shouted Chidori as she rushed over to him, Hestia blasting the Shadow with a fireball to throw it off from attacking for a little bit.

"I'm fine... ngh, those lightning bolts sting somethin' fierce..."

"My shield will not break!"

Aigis' Persona appeared and a burst of multi colored light sprang up around everyone, but I had a different idea. One that involved the Persona I picked up earlier, actually. And that bracelet Naoki handed over.

"Alright, let's give this a shot!" I said, summoning a card to my hand. "Persona!"

A savage Norse warrior appeared behind me, letting out a feral war cry before crimson static flared up around me, my vision tinting itself red.

"Wait, that's...!"

_{Roy-kun's enraged!}_

"ON PURPOSE NO LESS!" I bellowed, cracking my knuckles. "TURNS OUT THIS GUY HAS A NIFTY ABILITY IF YOU STRENGTHEN HIM ENOUGH!"

"Roy, was that BERSERKER?"

"YOU BET YOUR ASS IT WAS, YUKARI!" I shouted, rushing towards the Shadow. "AND NOW IMMA SMASH THIS BASTARD!"

I heard some frantic footsteps behind me before I lunged.

"TIME FOR AN INHUMAN RAMPAGE, BITCH! RIP AND TEAR!"

* * *

><p>So it turns out there's an actual Persona skill called 'Tranquil Fury' which means that Berserker's one other ability that seems to just make whoever uses it angry doesn't turn me into a mindless ball of smash and pain. Nope, I can AIM the smashing now. And since the Persona induced rage also makes that one ability that lets me hit harder while I'm enraged kick in, well... I think I might've gotten a bit too in tune with the inner 'ONI SMASH' part of me. But hey, the World Balance died so I call that a win! Also the Judgement Arcana said hi once it was over but I was sick of Tartarus for one day, so we headed back down to the lobby to head back. I also had to stop by the Velvet Room...<p>

"What the fuck kind of umbrella IS THIS?" I asked, handing the object in question to Elizabeth. "Does it belong to a demon or something?"

"After a fashion, yes..." she replied, slipping the umbrella into her purse. "But... you continue to impress me, Master Roy. Charging forward as you are, without fear it may be a march to your grave..."

I shrugged. "There's definitely some fear in it. We still have only the faintest idea of what's coming our way beyond the fact it's a tossup between two gods at this point."

"And yet you still choose to fight."

"I'd rather die fighting than let some nigh-omnipotent asshole appear and kill everyone on Earth." I stated. "Even if some people don't deserve to be saved, I'm gonna do it anyways because gods be damned, I have family and friends and if some god wants them all dead, they're gonna have to get through ME first!"

Elizabeth hummed thoughtfully. "I see... how odd."

"Odd?"

"My glimpses of humanity aside from yourself and those close to you have rarely painted so wondrous a picture." She said. "Few act as you do, the majority being selfish."

"People are a complicated bunch Liz, so just watching them from a distance isn't the best way to look at it. Better if you actually interact with them, really."

She smiled. "As I have with you?"

"Eh, somethin' like that... maybe with less supernatural stuff going on at least."

"I shall keep that in mind then, Master Roy."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Pierrot Arcana..._

-Lovely.- "Alright. I'll see you later, Liz. I'm gonna see about going home and getting some sleep..."

"Pleasant dreams!"

* * *

><p>We headed back to the dorm after I left the Velvet Room, and surprisingly the conversation during the trip back was about how odd the Adamah block looked compared to the rest of Tartarus. Of course, after like ten months and two-hundred plus floors of creepy areas of varying levels of dim lighting, a big, brightly-lit crystalline maze would surprise anybody. It seemed to be a lazy day for everyone, but given how Tartarus went last night I'm only moderately surprised. A little while after lunch, Ken and I took Koromaru for a walk.<p>

"...Hey, Roy-san?"

"Just 'Roy' is fine at this point, Ken." I chuckled. "But what's up?"

"...I was just wondering... do you think the Fall is as unavoidable as Ryoji-san said it was?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

I looked at Ken. "Because it hinges on at least one god being in a very bad mood when they get here, and if we're lucky we can talk them out of it because as Anansi has proven, Gods are basically college students with the ability to warp reality."

"And if we're not lucky?"

"The Kirijo Group that caused all this managed to rip part of a god's body off in order to get this all to happen in the first place, so that means we could potentially win a fight if it comes down to it."

"Gee, that's reassuring..."

I arched an eyebrow. "And exactly how many times have we improvised our plans on the spot and had them work out?"

"A lot, but I don't think that's gonna work on a god."

"You got punched off of Tartarus and then managed to teleport to above my Shadow to stab it in the back if Aigis' account of the events is to be believed, Ken."

He seemed like he was going to protest, but he paused and shook his head with a sigh. "I'm just worried is all. This has gotten a lot bigger than just fighting monsters..."

"Yeah, it has..." I agreed. "But hey, we haven't had something thrown at us yet that we haven't been able to beat yet, and we've got a whole month to get ready."

"...I guess I'm just scared then." said Ken. "I never expected something like this to happen..."

"Did you ever expect anything that's happened to you in the last few years?"

He shook his head. "No, but... this is on a whole other level from that." he looked up at me. "We could be walking straight to our deaths, Roy."

Koromaru let out a gruff, assertive bark.

"I don't think that prospect has him backing down."

Koro barked again, stopping at looking up at the two of us. I can't say I've ever seen that intense a look from a dog, let alone one his size.

I knelt down and scratched him behind the ears.

"True men know no fear, right?" I asked.

Another gruff bark was Koromaru's reply.

**CRASH**

-Neat.-

"Hah... sometimes I wish I could see things how Koro does." commented Ken, petting the shiba a few times. "It sounds a lot more simple."

"Probably not." I said, standing up. "With everything that's happened in the past couple months, I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to have some youkai ancestry. He's a damn smart dog, after all."

"I suppose..."

I put a hand on Ken's shoulder as he looked up at me.

"Just don't forget one thing, Ken." I said. "No matter what happens, it's not like you're gonna be stuck facing it by yourself. You've got all of us watching your back." I smirked. "All I ask is that you return the favor, alright?"

He was quite for a second, then he smiled and nodded. "Alright, Roy."

**CRASH**

-Oh shut up already.-

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, any sort of good mood that might've been going around the dorm wasn't there when the three of us got back to the dorm. Junpei, Chidori, Shinji, Hamuko, and Akihiko in particular looked pissed.<p>

"What happened?" I asked as Ken got Koromaru's leash off him.

Mitsuru answered by un-muting the TV.

_["-continued reports on the status of the escaped perpetrator of the 'Revenge Request' serial killings."]_

"Wait, WHAT?" I shouted as the TV trailed off into some other news stories. "Takaya fucking ESCAPED?"

"The armored police van that was taking him to the courthouse was attacked yesterday." reported Fuuka. "They don't know how anyone got the means to do it, but the officers were knocked out and when help arrived, Takaya was gone along with the attackers."

I growled and ran a hand through my hair. "Fuck. So he's loose again..."

"And he's not where Strega used to have a 'base'." said Chidori. "Fuuka and I scanned there the moment we heard the news."

"Did you sense him anywhere else in the city?" asked Ken.

Both girls shook their head.

"Crap..."

"Shinjiro-san was saying worse things, but Mitsuru-senpai got mad at him for it..." Ryoji stated. "And there's more than just Takaya being loose..."

"Like what?"

Yukari glanced at the TV for a moment. "Look at the screen."

I stepped around one of the couches to get a good view of the TV, and it was showing images of some posters and symbols that'd been plastered all over Port Island Station.

_["This is just one of the locations that these images and flyers have appeared."] _stated the newscaster. _["They belong to a group calling itself the 'Cult of Nyx' and their members, as well as the papers they hand out, say that the coming of 'Nyx-sama' is at hand and that if you believe in their teachings, you shall receive salvation. Several online message boards..."]_

"Oh you have got to be kidding me..." I said, looking at everyone again. "There's a CULT worshiping Nyx now?"

"Looks that way." grunted Shinjiro. "I don't even get how the hell they sprang up so quickly."

Mitsuru sighed. "I have a guess. Several scientists left the Kirijo Group the day after Ikutsuki betrayed us, and all of them had ties to him. It's likely they are the ones who set up this cult."

In an instant, a horrifying thought hit me. "...How much you guys wanna bet they're the ones who busted Takaya out?"

"How the hell would a buncha whack-job eggheads pull that off?" asked Junpei.

"Senpai, was there any sensitive Kirijo Group tech and or files missing when those scientists bailed?"

Within a moment, Mitsuru had her phone out and started dialing someone. "I hadn't even considered that..."

"So now we've got another problem." sighed Akihiko. "If those cultists are the ones who got Takaya out, they can use his abilities to pull people to their side... or trick innocent people into coming after us."

"They wouldn't be that crazy."

"No, Akihiko-san's right." said Ken. "If these scientists were helping Ikutsuki, they probably know what his plans were and, by this point, that we'd try to stop them."

I chewed my lip a little. "Yeah... and that's the worst part. Unlike when Takaya was running Strega, these guys are probably actually smart."

"Fortunately, Ikutsuki did not think to plant listening devices in the dorm." noted Aigis.

"How can you be sure?"

"I raised the concern to Tenshi Kirijo while I was undergoing maintenance following his betrayal. She had the dorm swept while you all were at school and none were found."

I hummed. "So, upside is the cultists won't be a step ahead of us. Downside is we're still probably going to have to deal with them at some point."

"...I should probably let Roland and Asami know." said Shinji. "The more help the better in this situation."

"Definitely."

* * *

><p>Mitsuru and Akihiko left for a while after that, probably to get their minds off of things. Hell, that seemed to be the general state of the dorm; Everyone just wanted to not think about having to deal with Takaya again after we got the bastard handed over to the cops. Aigis, Ryoji, Fuuka, and me were doing that by way of Super Smash Bros in the lounge with guest appearance by Mira the spider sitting on my head. I kinda lost track how long we were playing, but it must've been hours seeing as it was getting dark by the time the door to the dorm opened.<p>

"We're back..." Mitsuru called out.

The moment she said that, Mira scurried off my head and into my shirt and stayed there.

"I'd ask where you've been, but that's Akihiko's thing." I commented. "And also not my business."

Mitsuru let out a soft chuckle. "Good to see you're doing well, Fortune."

"You're certainly in a good mood yourself from the sounds of things." I said, glancing at Akihiko as he headed for the stairs. Looked a little annoyed. "Get a sweet deal on a new fur coat or something?"

"No no... just had a certain annoyance dealt with."

I glanced over as the Smash bros match ended. "Oh?"

"Indeed... but if I remember correctly, we had a lesson scheduled for tonight, yes?"

"Lesson?" asked Aigis as I got up.

"Yeah, she's teaching me how to ride a motorcycle." I replied, Junpei not missing a beat and taking my seat. "Let's get to it, senpai. Just gimme a sec to grab something from my room..." -And put the spider in my sleeve back in her cage.-

She smirked. "Very well."

* * *

><p>"So what exactly happened?" I asked, rounding a corner on Mitsuru's bike for another one of her 'let me track you with my Persona while you drive around' sessions. "What was buggin' ya that got taken care of?"<p>

_{"...You recall how my mother refused to let an arranged marriage happen to me?"}_

"Yeah, you mentioned that a month or two back. Why?"

_{"Well... the man that had been intended to be the other half of the marriage decided to show up today."}_

I stopped at a streetlight, frowning slightly. "What, he never get the memo?"

_{"I'd been informed that he'd been told on no uncertain terms to never bother me again."}_ replied Mitsuru. _{"Unfortunately, I am apparently too appealing of a prize to let slip away."}_

"Please tell me that you rammed your heels into his groin."

_{"He didn't say that, but it was the impression I had of what he was thinking based on his attitude... Akihiko had a similar train of thought as well."}_

"Uh huh..." I hummed, revving the engine slightly as the signal changed so I could get going again. "So then Akihiko activated his dental plan?"

Mitsuru laughed. _{"Not to that extreme, but there were a few punches thrown."}_

"Did the jackass last more than one?"

_{"He actually struck first because Akihiko refused to accept a bribe to stop associating with me. The fact he was still conscious after the retaliation was admittedly surprising."}_

"Dude's probably lucky it wasn't somewhere nobody would see a giant wolf maul him."

_{"He also would've had to threaten my life before Akihiko would go that far, but given that man's family? I doubt he knows how to do much beyond boss people around or throw money at a problem until it goes away."}_

"Pfft, wow that's pathetic."

_{"Quite."}_

I hummed. "Wait, was this guy told to piss off before or after you started dating Akihiko?"

_{"Before and after, actually."}_

"Was the fact your significant other is quite possibly a near Olympic-class boxer left out of that discussion?"

_{"...I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past mother to have not mentioned it given the man's persistence."}_

I grinned. "Think he expected the left hook that floored him?"

_{"He technically had a warning..."}_

"What kind?"

_{"Akihiko asked before striking, even if it was in his own way..."}_ A small giggle came over the line. _{"I love him dearly, but I'm honestly glad he came housebroken."}_

"I will legitimately bet you five thousand yen that's the secret real reason Shinjiro wouldn't let Akihiko join SEES alone."

_{"I'd lose, so no deal."}_

"Damn."

_{"...He does make a nice pillow, though. Warm, too."}_ Another giggle. _{"I don't think I've ever felt fur as soft, either."}_

"Careful senpai, your ten year old with a new plushie as big as they are side is showing."

_{"...Is that bad?"}_

I smirked. "Nah, just might hurt your image as a strict and serious upperclassmen if anyone else finds out."

_{"...You-"}_

"I won't tell a soul."

_{"...Thank you."}_

"But hey, it's nice to hear that sort of thing coming from you." I said, rounding a corner. "Just by your own admission before, you didn't really get a lot of chances to have moments to act like... well, someone without all the responsibilities you've got."

_{"Yes..."} _Mitsuru sighed heavily. _{"Ever since I was a little girl..."}_

"How much of that did you heap on yourself, though?"

_{"...Pardon?"}_

"You said yourself that your dad never liked it being down to kids to get rid of the Dark Hour." I noted. "And that he was even less thrilled when you awoke one... is that like a common thing here in Japan or something? Hoisting a lot of blame and burden on yourself than others?"

_{"Yes. Not quite to the sheer extent of myself... or Shinjiro."}_

"To be fair to the poor guy, he killed someone."

_{"...If you want to be technical-"}_

"You said yourself I shouldn't lose sleep over that." I grunted. "Besides, I've long since stopped considering Ikutsuki to be a person. He was a monster, plain and simple."

_{"I wasn't going down that route; I think it's safe to say we're all in agreement about what Ikutsuki was."}_

"Definitely."

_{"Anyway, you're adjusting quite well. I believe the final test would be to simply get a bike better suited to your height... and unlikely for you to break in the event of a rampage."}_

"The hell would I be doing riding a motorcycle into a situation I'd risk breaking it with oni strength anyways?"

_{"...Fair point, but it would still be a safe investment."}_

"I'll get on that when I've got a lot of spare cash."

_{"...What have you been doing with the money you've been getting?"}_

"Investing mainly in stuff for Tartarus, admittedly. Not cheap."

_{"That is true..."}_

I rolled to a stop in front of the dorm, taking off the helmet after I shut off the bike.

"Who knows, maybe I'll be able to afford one about a year from now once that inheritance kicks in."

Mitsuru gave me an odd look as I climbed off her bike. "You have an inheritance?"

"Something in the vicinity of I think about two hundred grand in US Dollars after taxes and all that shit gets deducted and stuff that my Dad left for me before he passed away. I don't think he expected me to get my hands on it before I had a job, though..." I said, setting the helmet on the bike. "Uncle Shane said it was supposed to be more, but well... the accident happened. If I had to guess, Dad left it mainly as a 'just in case' sorta thing."

"And this was setup ten years ago?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"You could be looking at potentially four-hundred thousand dollars by now depending on the interest rate..."

I shrugged. "Still a shitload of cash either way. Gives me something of a buffer while I try to get a job and all that."

"Heh, I see..."

Eyebrow. "What, did you have something else in mind?"

"No no... I merely had an idea." she admitted. "It depends heavily on us surviving this ordeal, though."

I laughed. "Well, you can tell me about it once we save the world." I held out a hand to Mitsuru. "Deal?"

She smiled and shook my hand. "Deal."

**CRASH**

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Empress Arcana..._

-No seriously, go away already. You're obnoxious.-

* * *

><p>I went to bed well before the Dark Hour that night. Just felt worn out, I suppose. Of course this meant I was up bright and goddamn early on Sunday. Not really sure what compelled me to go for a walk by myself that morning, admittedly. Or why I headed to the shrine like I expected Akinari to be there... and he was, much to my surprise.<p>

"I've been waiting for you." he said with a smile. "I have good news!"

I smirked as I sat down next to him. "Finish your story?"

"Indeed I did, and as of today, I am a free individual."

"Free from what?"

"The hospital. They were going to put me under care, but it seems my body is too weak to undergo surgery at this point." stated Akinari. "I refused any medication they offered as well, so I have no reason to return there."

"Harsh... just waiting for the end, then?"

He nodded. "Yes, but... so is everyone if you stop and think about it. Some people just have longer to wait than others."

"...Huh. Never thought of it that way..."

"Few think of the end..." he said with a chuckle. "Besides writers, that is."

"Ha, yeah. So how's the ending to your story turn out?"

Akinari smiled. "It's admittedly sad, but I think it will inspire some thoughts in others. You recall the alligator ate his friend the bird, yes?"

"Of course."

"He cried for a very long time because of it. His sadness was so great, he drown in his own tears. However, the aftermath left a beautiful lake with dazzling flowers and a tall tree that bore delicious fruit growing beside it." he said. "The other animals in the forest came to it often to relax, though none knew the alligator had created it or that he was gone... the end."

I hummed. "So that's what you came up with?"

He nodded sharply. "Yes. Even though the alligator never found meaning in his life, the residents of the forest did without realizing it..." Akinari paused, turning his head towards the sky. "Because the meaning of my life is not something I should worry myself over. It's really what others think of my life or what I was able to do for them. So for me, or you, or anyone else... the meaning of our lives is something we make but don't see."

"Heh. The Sun..."

"What of it?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't mean the one in the sky. I mean the Sun Arcana."

He gave me an odd look. "That's... a tarot card, yes? My mother reads fortunes with them as a hobby."

"Yeah. You know what it means?"

"No. Mother refused to try and read a fortune for me."

"The Sun... it's the absolute radiance of one's life, the culmination of all of one's efforts and ambitions to produce a destiny of prosperity and wonderment." I told him. "After the long journey, if one stays true to oneself, then the blissful rays of the new day will dawn upon them. Peace and wealth of the spirit are yours forever, for you have shown the courage and willpower to earn it."

He laughed. "Ironic that it comes at the end of my life..."

"No two journeys are the same, nor any two lives. Even those who stand in the dark will one day see light, however fleeting it may be."

A peaceful smile came over Akinari's face as he stood up, leading me to finally notice he had a notebook in hand.

"I'm glad I had the chance to meet you, Roy. And... I want you to have this." He said, turning towards me and holding out his notebook. "This is what I wrote my story in. I want you to have something... since you shared my last moments."

I blinked, accepting the book from him. "Huh?"

He took a few steps back, his body becoming... translucent.

"Haha... my body feels lighter now..." said Akinari, his voice faintly echoing. "Thank you for everything... for coming to see me, speaking with me... even discussing the meaning of life. I... I can be glad that I was born."

I was too stunned to respond, just staring dumbfounded at him as he slowly faded more and more away.

**CRASH**

_I am thou... thou art I..._

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Sun Arcana hath been set free..._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Asura, the Ultimate Form of the Sun Arcana..._

"I have to go now..." he told me. "I hope that... maybe someday... we will meet again."

Akinari vanished completely on that last word, at last snapping me out of my trance. I sprang to my feet, looking around. The shrine was empty besides me... and the notebook in my hands. I looked at the sky for a moment before I started off back towards the dorm.

* * *

><p>I was barely halfway back to the dorm when I got ambushed by Chidori, who insisted I come with her. Admittedly, the fact she didn't ask about the worn out journal I was carrying was nice.<p>

"So where we going?" I asked after we'd been walking for a few minutes.

"...We have to tell Jin."

-Oh... well then.- "Right... he'd probably wanna know about Takaya if he hasn't already heard. Where's Junpei, by the way?"

"Him and Ryoji are finishing up classwork with Hamuko and Aigis."

"Ah, fair enough then."

* * *

><p>The rest of the walk to the hospital was surprisingly quiet, even for us. I figure Chidori was trying to come up with how to break it to Jin as gently as possible. Once we actually got to the room, though, I had a hunch he already knew.<p>

"...Hey." he said, glaring in the direction of the window.

"...Have you seen the news?"

He sighed. "Yeah. Takaya's loose again."

"Think he'll try to grab you?"

Jin scoffed. "No. I'm useless to him now that he doesn't have a way to get me to dance to his strings."

"And what if he tries anyways?" asked Chidori. "What then?"

"Then he's gonna have a fight on his hands." he replied, finally looking at us. "Because I'll work for him again over my own dead body."

"I'd say that's extreme, but given how the prick got busted out? I don't blame you."

Jin looked at me oddly. "What're you talking about?"

"We got a pretty good hunch it was some scientists Ikutsuki used to work with that got him away from the cops."

"Great... so he's got actual backing now."

I nodded. "Yeah... and we got no idea where they've stashed the prick."

"Hmph. He won't stay in that hole forever." said Jin. "He's gonna come after you guys eventually."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. It's just a matter of when and if he'll be smart about it."

"Smart is unlikely. He refused to let me just try and blow up your dorm more than once."

Chidori's face paled. "What?"

"It was before we tried to get you out of the hospital..." he replied. "I said we should just get rid of SEES and save ourselves the trouble of fighting you all at once. Takaya wouldn't have any of it. Said he wanted to, and I quote, 'see the despair in their eyes before they die'."

I sighed. "So on the upside, he's a James Bond villain so we're probably never going to have to worry about him attacking the dorm."

"Pretty much. And since I really doubt these guys are anything like Ikutsuki, Takaya's gonna have them eating out of his hands in a matter of days if he doesn't already. And looking at this 'Cult of Nyx', I'd say he's gone and grown himself a messiah complex by now."

"Fanatical, deluded, stupid, and psychopathic..." Chidori hummed. "What a charming combination."

Jin laughed sarcastically. "Isn't it just?" He shook his head. "But in all seriousness, do you guys even know when everything is gonna go down?"

"January Thirty-first. Roof of Tartarus."

"Then you can bet your ass Takaya will be waiting for you in that tower to try and stop you." he stated. "No matter the stakes, he'll put an end to you or die trying."

"I don't doubt that."

Somewhat worryingly, Jin's expression turned darker and far more serious. "And that's why I'm going with you that night."

I blinked. "...Come again?"

"He took any semblance of a life I might've tried to make after the Strega Project left it in tatters." replied Jin. "I'm going to see to it the bastard goes into a box and doesn't come out ever again - be it one with iron bars or one six feet underground."

"Make it fifty feet." I said. "Harder for more crazy shit to happen that wa-"

My sentence cut off into something between a surprised yelp and a shout of 'Holy fucking shit' as a Persona appeared in the room... Jin's Persona, in fact. Weird silvery robot with spinning top thing for a head. Never seen it before I don't think.

_**'I am thou... and thou art I...'**_

_**'From the sea of thine soul, the resolution of thine heart calls forth its true power...'**_

A sphere of what I can only describe as darkness surrounded his Persona temporarily, and when it was gone there was a very dramatic difference. Instead of a bizarre robot, it was now a man with disheveled hair leaning against a silver tree that seemed to be growing out of the 'head' of its previous form, which was the only thing left of what it used to look like. He wore what looked like pajamas patterned with autumn leaves under what I think was a long coat, his right arm resting on a large digital clock.

_**'Moros has given rise to Morpheus!'**_

A weak laugh escaped Jin.

"So... this is what it's like to have a 'real' Persona...?" he asked to nobody in particular.

"Feels better, doesn't it?"

He nodded and turned towards Chidori. "Yeah... go let your pals know I'm gonna help you guys out. Supposedly I'll be released in about a week, and from there... well, guess I'll be getting prepared."

"Just don't force yourself, okay?"

"I know, I know..."

* * *

><p>"...I'm glad he doesn't have Moros anymore."<p>

I turned my head a little towards Chidori was we headed back to the dorm. "Besides the fact it used to run the risk of killing him, I presume?"

"...Moros always felt... depressed." she said. "It just... brought back bad memories."

I hummed. "So now the only loose end from those days is going to be waiting for us in Tartarus..."

"So it would seem."

"...You gonna be okay with that? He's probably gonna pull a gun on us... you and Jin especially."

She nodded. "I don't care what he brings. He won't be leaving that tower on his own terms no matter what he tries."

"That's what I like to hear!" I laughed. "But y'know, it's kinda surprising. Never would've expected something like that out of you when we first me."

"I never expected what happened to you in November either." she noted. "Lots of things can change in life, big or small."

I gave her a look. "Is there like a virus going around that makes people wax philosophical?"

"I'm not waxing philosophical, that's your job."

"You are way too good at sassing people."

She giggled. "It's a habit I've built up over the years. I honestly can't tell you why, it just did."

"Clearly the answer is your true form is that of the Queen of Sass."

"Hehe... Junpei's a bit more flattering at times."

I grinned. "It's just how he is. The kind who sees people for who they are and reacts accordingly."

"What does that make you, then?"

I hummed. "...Probably something similar. Just with more tarot cards."

"And spiderwebs in your brain."

"Hey now-" I paused. "...Wait. Right. Anansi." I sighed. "I'm dumb sometimes."

Chidori giggled again. "It's part of your charm."

I just rolled my eyes as the two of us walked in silence for a little bit.

"...I'm glad I became friends with you."

"...Yeah, me too." I said. "Who knows what would've happened otherwise..."

"Something different, to say the least."

I scoffed. "Well that's a given."

"I mean a bad sort of different." she stated. "But... maybe I'm just imagining things..." Chidori shook her head a little. "Anyways, I have something I wanted to give you..."

-...And now I'm paranoid because I can just fucking TELL the spooky voices are gonna pop up.- I thought as she handed me a... "...How have you been hiding an art set on you this whole time?"

"You didn't think the bag was a little out of place?"

"For one, your dress is frilly enough you could smuggle a three course meal into a movie theater without suspicion." I said. "For two, that bag matches it almost perfectly so I didn't even notice it was there!"

Chidori giggled. "You're oddly unobservant at times for someone who can read body language."

"Yeah, yeah... and it's not like you've never taken Jin stuff before. But why give me this?"

She smiled. "Because it's nice to know someone with the same hobby as me."

I looked at the art set again. It was a fairly fancy once; colored pencils, inking pens, sketchpad, ruler, eraser, other misc art supplies... if I wasn't keeping my funds towards Tartarus I could've probably bought one of these myself.

"...Thanks, Chidori."

"Just don't slack off now that you've got more stuff to play with."

"Sketching because I finished my classwork in class is not slacking off!"

She lightly shook her head. "Sure it is, Roy..."

**CRASH**

"Fucking called it."

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"Called what?"

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Temperance Arcana hath been set free..._

"Spooky voices turned up. BFF status is go by their reckoning it seems."

"Ah, I see... that means you can summon a new Persona now, right? Junpei and I saw that in your Journal a few times."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Nimue, the Ultimate Form of the Temperance Arcana..._

"That it does, and if my memory of the Arthurian mythos I was reading while trying to figure out why I seem to have access to two versions of King Arthur himself as potentially usable Personas, I can call up the Lady of the Lake."

"...Where did you get two versions of King Arthur?"

"Aigis and Junpei."

"...Ah..."

I glanced at her and grinned. "Why're you blushing?"

"...No reason."

"Junpei in knight armor stuck in your head?"

"NO. REASON."

* * *

><p>It took until I finally got back to the dorm for Chidori to ask about the worn out journal I had with me. I still wasn't sure what to make of it... and neither was anyone else in the room that heard us talking.<p>

"So wait, lemme get this straight..." began Ryoji. "You got that notebook from the ghost of that sickly guy you talk with at the shrine?"

"At what point did I say he was a ghost?"

"Well it sure sounds like he passed on to the afterlife right in front of you." he countered. "I'm more amazed he was able to hold on to talk to you!"

Hamuko hummed. "I'm not. People can do amazing things if it's important to them."

"I don't think lingering as a spirit is something people are normally capable of..." commented Chidori. "But you said he was at the shrine frequently?"

"Yeah... why?"

"Well, spiritual places like that could have attributes unlike anywhere else." she said. "Or at least, if the logic that's steadily begun to solidify while I've been around you all is even remotely accurate..."

Koromaru barked all of a sudden, drawing our attention. He seemed very interested in something... but it was hard to say what.

"What's up?"

He whined a little, tilting his head.

"Are you hungry, Koro-chan?" asked Fuuka, walking over and kneeling beside the shiba. "I know where Shinjiro-senpai left your food."

Koro shook his head and whined again.

"He says he wants to go to the shrine." stated Aigis.

"Oh yeah, poor little guy's been inside for like the entire day..." Junpei noted with a sigh. "Or at least as long as I've been trying to figure this stupid math assignment out..."

Chidori giggled, then walked over to him. "Here, let me help."

"You do that, I'll walk the dog." I said, grabbing Koromaru's leash. "Be back in a bit..."

"Be careful, Roy." Aigis called out from her seat next to Junpei.

"Hey, I'll have Koro with me." I laughed as I put his leash on. He looked really excited. "No worries."

* * *

><p>Despite being a very small dog, Koromaru still ended up practically dragging me straight to the Shrine. Like not even a leisurely stroll like normal, he was intent on getting there right now. It didn't hit me until I saw the big crack in the wall at the bottom of the stairs to the shrine proper.<p>

He wanted to see if his owner was haunting the shrine. It made sense, really. Dude was both a monk and a Persona User... of course that left me wondering how to find out if he was there at all. Seems kinda odd he wouldn't have turned up already, but I'm not exactly a ghost expert so what the hell do I know.

"...Any luck?" I asked.

Koromaru kept wandering around the shrine and sniffing at the ground, only pausing to look at me and whine for a moment. Wish I had a hint that could help the little guy.

He sat down by the offering box and whined loudly. I walked over and sat next to him, patting him on the head.

"You really miss him, huh?" I asked.

Koro whined again, looking at me.

"There's gotta be a way we can see if he's around." I said. "We just gotta find it is all."

His ears perked up when I said that.

"Yes, 'we'." I stated. "I'll help you look around, just point me at something okay?"

Koromaru barked happily as the two of us stood back up.

"Now, if I were a monk with a dog, where would..." I paused. "Hey, did he ever give you a collar?"

He tilted his head at me, then scampered off towards the back of the shrine. A moment later, he came back with an old, worn-out dark brown collar. Looked like it'd been left out in the open for a while... even the identification tag on it was starting to rust.

"This it?" I asked, taking the collar from him. It looked way too small to fit him. "Wow... you've gotten big since you had this thing..."

_(He was a small puppy. That sort of thing happens.)_

I span around with a yelp while Koromaru barked happily.

It was hard to describe what this guy looked like, partly because he looked like he was halfway invisible. Koromaru, however, was barking and bouncing around the specter's legs. I've never seen the little guy look so happy.

_(I'm glad to see you're doing well, Koromaru.)_ said the ghost, kneeling down and placing a hand on the shiba's head. I was amazed it didn't just phase through him. _(I trust this young man is a friend of yours?)_

Koro barked in response as I did my best to get a good look at his owner. Darker skin tone than most Japanese people I've ever seen, his light brown hair slicked back in what I swear looked like that 'princess cut' hairstyle. The monk robes he had on were colored in a few different tones of gray, and some of those prayer beads strung around his neck on an orange string.

"...Uh... yeah..." I said uneasily. "Name's Roy..."

He hummed. _(Unusual name for an Oni...)_

"I'm not exactly a typical example of one anyways..."

_(So it would seem.)_ he replied before bowing slightly. _(My name is Kagerou.)_

"I've heard of you, admittedly." I said. "A few old friends of yours work at my high school..."

_(Asami, I presume? I've seen her nephew feed the crows here several times.)_

"Yeah. She's the classic lit teacher at Gekkoukan."

_(Not Physics? That's surprising... but may I ask what made you wish to speak with me?)_ he asked, looking down at Koromaru a moment later. _(Or was that Koro's idea?)_

A happy bark was the reply to Kagerou's question.

"His idea." I admitted. "I mentioned what happened this morning with a friend of mine, and well... I guess he got his hopes up for being able to see you again."

_(Hah, I see... It was rather sudden, wasn't it, Koro?)_

The shiba let out a low whine.

_(...What is this around your neck?)_ he asked. _(A shock collar...?)_

"It's an evoker, actually." I said. "Koromaru can summon a Persona."

Kagerou looked back at me. _(He can?)_

"Yeah. Cerberus."

He chuckled, kneeling down to pet Koromaru again. _(Well, how's that for serendipity? I guess I rubbed off on him more than I thought...)_

"Well to be fair, his Persona changed. It WAS Sirius, but it transfigured into Cerberus when a Shadow appeared here at the shrine in the Dark Hour."

_(...How long ago was this?)_

"Uh..." I started counting off on my fingers. "...I think, about five months ago?"

_(...I see... so that is why my soul stirred...)_

"Huh?"

Kagerou stood up and turned to face me. _(My spirit had been in a sort of limbo since my death, presumably due to the Dark Hour triggering at the moment I died. One night, I found myself standing at the shrine. I had no idea how long I'd been like that until I observed someone reading the newspaper on the benches over there...)_

"Wow that... that sounds harsh, man." I said. "So you've been stuck here instead of passing on to wherever souls go when someone dies?"

_(Indeed, though from what I have observed it seems to be the norm for those who have died in the Dark Hour.)_ he said. _(Their spirits become trapped, unable to escape...)_

I blinked. "...What?"

_(I noticed it when several wayward souls wandered past, claiming a shirtless man had shot them.) stated Kagerou. (Most were teenagers.)_

"...I see..."

_(One stood out, though... It was a woman who remarked on encountering a married couple near the Moonlight Bridge.)_

I felt my chest tighten when he said that. "...Are you sure?"

_(Quite. I encountered her not more than a week ago. In fact, her hair was the same color as the young boy who was with you and Koromaru a few days ago.)_

-...Oh my god... that could've been...- "Ah..."

_(Is something wrong? You seem troubled...)_

"Kinda... the implications of what you just told me are... well..."

_(Disturbing?)_

"Extremely."

_(Well, she was muttering about hitting someone with a phone book when she left...)_

"Not that part." I said. "The fact there's potentially upwards of two hundred people trapped in the Dark Hour because they were murdered."

Kagerou's eyes went wide. _(WHAT?)_

"The shirtless guy some of those spirits were talking about?" I asked. "We know who that is. We almost got him thrown in jail for it, but some assholes who worked with Ikutsuki busted him out!"

_(...Shuji Ikutsuki? That pathetic, petulant rube of a man?)_

"What, you knew-" I paused. "...Oh dear god he's probably stuck in there as well..."

_(He's not. I made sure of that.)_

I blinked. "...Huh?"

_(He came near here in the middle of November, cursing the names of several people, Tenshi Kirijo among them.) _stated Kagerou. _(He swore vengeance... but alas for him, even in this state, I am more than capable of exorcising vengeful spirits.)_

"...So you killed his ghost?"

_(In a manner of speaking, yes.) _he said. _(It was... far more satisfying than I expected.)_

"Well to be fair, he tried to kill me, Mitsuru-senpai, and all of our friends, so..."

_(Ah, that would explain it then.)_

I knelt down and patted Koromaru on the head. "Little buddy here helped save the day that night, though."

He let out a proud, happy bark.

_(Loyalty runs in his family. His father was much the same way when it came to those he cared about.)_

"Oh, so Koro's dad was your dog as well?"

_(Of sorts, yes.) _he replied with a chuckle.

"Heh, that'd explain why he misses you so much." I said. "Not even counting the fact he probably got kinda spoiled."

_(If by 'spoiled' you mean 'well taken care of and loved' then yes, he was.)_

"No, I mean by Shinjiro." I clarified. "Pooch gets spoiled to hell and back to the point he'll probably listen to Shinji before anyone else but Hamuko."

Kagerou chuckled again. _(I thought he was looking a little plump...)_

Koromaru whined.

_(I'm only joking, Koro.)_

The shiba just whined again.

_(I miss you as well, but you have friends who're looking out for you.)_ he said. _(It wouldn't be fair to them if you just left them.)_

Koro looked up at his owner with his big eyes.

_(That hasn't worked on me since you were a year old, Koromaru.)_

He didn't stop.

_(I could easily tell him to hide your favorite treats for a week, you know.)_ stated Kagerou. _(I miss you dearly, but there's no bringing back the dead. Life moves on, little one.)_

I hummed. "So what, you couldn't just hang around until the Dark Hour gets sorted out or we all die trying?"

He looked at me. _(I beg your pardon?)_

"We found a way to quite possibly end it for good, but it requires dealing with a deity at the end of this month." I told him. "Nyx to be specific."

_(...Why is a primordial Greek goddess involved?)_

"Because we're fairly certain that the experiment that made the Dark Hour involved a stolen arm from her son Thanatos?"

_(How charming. But if that's the case, Thanatos himself likely isn't far away.)_ He said, then knelt down and looked Koromaru in the eye. _(You take care now, alright? I know you're capable of handling things.)_

I glanced at the sad look on Koro's face, then sighed. "You sure you don't know any way you can stick around? You were part of the Asura Project and you're a shrine keeper, so ya gotta know somethin'!"

He hesitated. _(...Only one, but... I don't know for certain if Koromaru's body could handle the strain, Persona User or not.)_

"Well if it helps, my Persona can heal."

_(...It might.)_

"What're you going to do, try to fit your soul into his Persona or something?"

Kagerou looked at me. _(...After a fashion, yes.)_

"Wait a second, you've got a Persona as well! Wouldn't that be like a blind fire Persona Fusion?"

_(How do you even know of that concept?)_

"Short version is I'm a Wild Card – I can use multiple Personae and, with a little help, fuse them into new and different ones."

_(Hm. I see...)_ he turned back to Koromaru. _(All the better ours are the same then, isn't it?)_

Koromaru barked in agreement.

"Should I stand back...?"

_(Perhaps, but not too far. If things start to go wrong...)_

"I'm quick on the draw with Persona skills. Trust me."

He nodded. _(Good; we'll need it should this go awry.)_ Kagerou took a deep breath, then turned towards Koromaru. _(Are you certain you'll be alright with this, Koro? I... don't know what this might do.)_

Koromaru nodded and gave a short, gruff bark.

_(Alright then. Let's begin...)_

-Please tell me this isn't gonna be a light show, I'll never hear the end of it...- I thought, watching the entrance to the shrine and praying that no random people would turn up.

Unfortunately, there was something of a light show. Some glowing markings appeared on the ground around Kagerou and Koromaru, the latter's Persona materializing above him. From there... I'm honestly not sure how to describe what I saw beyond 'anime as fuck'. Like, sparkling lights, Kagerou vanishing into glowing red dust, then Cerberus I think... inhaling it? I have no clue, I just know it started becoming comprehensible once an orb of fire surrounded Koromaru's Persona.

_**'I am thou... and thou art I...'**_

-Oh please tell me nobody is seeing this I don't wanna get beaten with a broom!-

_**'By the strength of thine souls, the power of thine heart has been reborn...'**_

The fire orb vanished and I staggered back with a half-strangled yelp.

_**'Cerberus has arisen to new potential!'**_

-'New potential' nothing!- I thought, staring at what had become of Koromaru's Persona. Instead of the metallic, pitchfork footed form it used to have, it was now more... organic. Its three triangular heads seemed to stare at me despite not having any apparent eyes. The front half of its body was dark gray, the back half a lighter shade with a green stripe on its upper hind legs and the middle of its tail. Said tail appeared to have some fin-like protrusions near the tip as well.

The new Cerberus seemed to nod before it vanished, leaving Koromaru standing there alone.

"...So it worked then?"

He barked happily in response, his tail wagging.

"Heh... so we can count on the both of you then?"

Koromaru let out a small howl.

**CRASH**

_I am thou... thou art I..._

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Strength Arcana hath been set free..._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Sirius, the Ultimate Form of the Strength Arcana..._

I chuckled, kneeling down and scratching Koro behind the ears.

"Thanks, little buddy." I said. "Now let's get back, alright? Hopefully you won't freak anyone out next time we hit Tartarus."

He barked in reply before the two of us headed off back to the dorm.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - HOW ABOUT THAT DIGITAL DEVIL SAGA CERBERUS, HUH? And yes, Jin got a new persona as well. Why? REASONS. Also since I promised in the reviews for last chapter, here's the official soundtrack for Reshuffled:

**Intro Theme:** _FES_ (intro from Persona 3: FES)

**Battle Theme:** _Light the Fire Up in the Night -P3 Side-_ from Persona Q: Shadows of the Labrynth

**Tartarus Boss Theme:** _Hunting - Tartarus_ (fan combo of 'Master of Tartarus' from Persona 3 and 'Hunting - Betrayal' created by theultimateonejps)

**Full Moon Boss Theme: **_Leo's Place_ from Scott Pilgrim VS the World: The Game

**As far as Roy is concerned, this is what plays when Takaya is around:** That 'Biggest douche in the universe' song from South Park

**VS Shadow Roy:**_ I'll Face Myself -Battle-_ from Persona 4

**VS The Reaper:** _Against the Black Knight_ from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

**VS Final Guardian of Tartarus:** _The Arena (Naked Mix)_ from the P4 Arena Original Arrange Album

**VS The Reaper(Final Showdown):** _Persona Music Live Band - Mass Destruction_

**VS Elizabeth: **_The Road of the Apotropaic God ~ Dark Road_ (Xi-on mix)

**Final Battle:** _Battle for Everyone's Souls [Slow Mix]_ (A slower version of 'Battle for Everyone's Souls', as you can guess from the title.)

**Roy's Theme in Persona 4 Arena/Ultimax:** _Deathfire Grasp_ by Pentakill(League of Legends music)

**Credits Theme:** _Persona Music Live Band - Memories of You_

**Abyss of Time Battle Theme:** _Light the Fire Up in the Night ~Dark Hour~_ from Persona Q: Shadows of the Labrynth

**VS ? ?:** _The Wandering Wolf (Straight Mix)_ from the P4 Arena Original Arrange Album

**VS ?:** _Last Whisper_ by Pentakill(League of Legends music)

**Battle at the Great Seal:** _Darkness (Mega Mix) _(Sped up version of 'Darkness' from The Answer. Titled 'Mega Mix' because it sounds like it's from a MegaMan game.)

Why yes I did put songs for the Answer segment in here! Why? REASONS. The songs with '?' for titles will be uncensored once those fights happen in the story. But for now? Well, I'll see you next chapter... mwehehehehe...


	35. Storm the Tower

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Gicofokami -** Technically, if you count him having seen Shou Toramaru talking with Anansi way back in... Shit, I think Chapter 16, then he already has met Touhou characters. Outside of that... eh, probably not.

**guedesbrawl -** For starters, yes, Ryoji looks exactly the same. As for the rest of your comments... well, I've actually been slipping hints and clues in for both Roy and Akihiko's heritage in the story. Akihiko's was just more subtle because it's mostly drawn from canon - plus it makes his dislike of sugary things understandable in my book since wolves can't eat things like chocolate anymore than dogs can. Granted it's probably not as dangerous to Akihiko since he's half human and also I doubt youkai follow normal logic, but I doubt it agrees with his system much anyways. And really, I said it in the reviews for last chapter; I write this to entertain myself as much as I do to entertain others. Also I dislike the fact that like half of SEES are goddamn orphans so you'll just have to bear with me messing around with some of their backstories. *looks accusingly at Shinjiro's*

**The Worldwalker -** You can blame PuppeteerOfHearts for Yakumo's Parasol appearing. In fact, the Touhou cameo items were all her idea. You are almost correct on the social links; there are five left to max as of the end of Chapter 33, but only one by the end of this chapter. The social link in question? Pierrot, aka Elizabeth's. That one caps out next chapter.

**FrozenxRose -** The max rank Personae will start appearing, or at least the 'new' ones will. Several even pop up in this chapter, but sadly only one is accurately described because of reasons. Speaking of which, I'd forgotten about my plans when I answered a review last chapter and said the Ultimate Judgement Persona was Roy's Ultimate Persona - That is completely wrong. Roy's Ultimate Persona /IS/ of the Judgement Arcana, but it is not the Ultimate Persona of the Social Link. I also feel I should point out that Roy does not get an equivalent to Orpheus Telos in this story.

**Overlord Duelist -** I don't plan on playing Persona Q. I'm just gonna read spoilers for the plot online. And I have in fact heard the song you mentioned, it's just been a while.

Once more, thanks to **PuppeteerOfHearts**, **Ella Lucarita**, and **ScarfDrilbur **for helping me get this done! And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"So now Koro can summon a nastier version of Cerberus because you managed to speak with his shrine-keeper owner?" asked Shinjiro the next day while he, Hamuko, Aigis, and me were eating breakfast in the lounge. "God damn it Roy, will you <em>ever<em> not give me a headache?"

"Hey, I was just a witness to this!" I countered. "...But I did ask if he knew a way he could help Koro since the little guy missed him so much. Can't blame me for wanting to see the pooch in high spirits, can you?"

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "No... Just warn us sooner next time, okay?"

"I didn't even figure out what was probably gonna happen till he'd dragged me halfway to the shrine!"

"Oh, calm down you." said Hamuko, elbowing her boyfriend. "Koro-chan's happy so why get grumpy about it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Not my fault Shinji's not a morning person."

"Few people are, Roy." Aigis noted. "But may I ask why you're wearing that?"

"Wearing what?"

"The vest and tie."

I laughed. "Oh that... I've had some suits in my closet the entire time I've been here, but outside of the summer festival I never used 'em, saw one this morning and went 'why the hell not' and grabbed these off it."

"Why the hell do you have suits?"

"Because they look slick as hell, duh."

Hamuko gave me a look. "Real reason, please."

"I'm not kidding." I replied. "Suits look cool. Hell, now that I think about it, there's no reason NOT to wear them so I'm probably gonna wear them more often because I can."

Shinjiro chuckled with a light shake of his head. "You've really got your eyes on the title of 'World's Strangest Oni', don't you?"

"In the immortal words of Kaz, First place or bust!"

* * *

><p>A couple hours later, I wound up helping Mitsuru with something in the Command Room... though it quickly turned into 'Roy knows less about the city than he thought he did' as told by Mitsuru Kirijo.<p>

"You really haven't ever been to these parts of Iwatodai?" She asked, looking away from the big map on the main monitor to give me a perplexed stare.

"Really." I replied. "I mean, aside from our short term visits to that place where the bunker was and... well, that place we had to go for the Operation That Shall Not Be Mentioned, I've never gone to the streets behind the dorm the whole time I've been here."

Mitsuru hummed. "I see..."

"Why's it important, though?"

She turned back to the map, and several sections of the city were highlighted on it a moment later. One was about two blocks behind the dorm, more towards the mainland, another was near the piers close to the Moonlight bridge, a third starting about three blocks Southeast of Iwatodai Station, and the last was a moderate sized area between the Station and the bridge.

"Because I've been able to detect... surprising readings in these areas." She said. "I believe they're Persona-Users..."

"...How many?"

"It's hard to tell, but several in each area." replied Mitsuru. "I'd wager they're in groups the size of SEES prior to August."

I crossed my arms as I stared at the map. "Huh... didn't the Kirijo Group have all known Persona Users in the city in SEES already, though?"

"I thought the same... until now, at least. I wasn't even the first one to detect them. Asami-san, Yamagishi, and Yoshino reported sensing them last night."

"...Asami's Persona can scan?"

"It's at a level somewhere between my abilities and those possessed by Yamagishi and Yoshino, but yes."

"Huh... did you sense any on Port Island Proper?"

She turned towards me. "No, why?"

"I spotted a couple at Paulownia Mall the other day when Akihiko and I were there." I replied. "Blind girl with gray hair and a tall redheaded chick. Personae were..." I frowned, trying to recall the names. "...Okay, I forget the name of the blind girl's, but her friend had Nekheb. Star and Sun Arcanas respectively."

"Ah, I see. Perhaps they were from one of the groups I detected and were simply at the mall."

I shrugged. "Entirely possible, but if their really ARE big groups of Persona Users like that, why the hell haven't they show up before now?"

"It's possible their Personae operate more akin to you than the rest of SEES." she said. "Since they haven't been contacted by the Kirijo Group, it's unlikely they have Evokers."

"Still doesn't explain them avoiding notice for this long... unless they have someone who can do that 'off the grid' thing Chidori can do."

Mitsuru sighed. "It's entirely possible. And in that same vein, they likely know we're operating in the city, which begs the question of why they haven't attempted to contact us even if we couldn't contact them."

"Well... maybe some of 'em don't trust your family's company?" I suggested. "I mean, it'd be hard to mistake you for anyone..."

"Most likely..." she let out a laugh. "And here we thought Persona-Users were a rarity..."

I chuckled as well. "Guess not... what do you think they've been doing?"

"I suspect they're why, aside from instances like Amada's mother and Koromaru's first battle with them at the shrine, there have been very few Shadows outside of the tower."

"So we've got like... Persona User Gangs in the city and never knew it." I commented. "...Would explain why there's several and in certain parts of the city. They probably use them as their turf... which means they might think some of the city is our territory."

"Considering yourself and Akihiko, I wouldn't be surprised."

"The youkai jokes are getting old already." I grumbled, eliciting a giggle from Mitsuru. "But at the same time... four of the big Shadows popped up in the turf of those other groups, right? Cuz well... THAT place is over by the piers and then the bunker was back inland in that spot behind the dorm. I mean I can kinda figure 'our' territory is some of the space around the dorm to the station and then Tartarus proper... but why the hell did they let us waltz on in when those big ones were there?"

"Perhaps they were unable to combat the Shadows?" offered Mitsuru. "It's entirely possible that, without you present, the Arcana Shadows couldn't be harmed due to the thirteenth of them not being there."

I hummed. "That does make sense, but seeing as we didn't recruit Chidori for a long time we had no one to block any of their scanners. They've probably been keeping tabs on us to some capacity... question just becomes how much and which groups were doing it."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the two you encountered at the mall." she said. "Akihiko wasn't aware of their status as Persona users like you were, but he was talking with me about the blind girl and how well she was able to function despite her handicap."

"Well that could paint her as the scanner from her team, just using her Persona to help her see... on top of being like a dog youkai or something similar. She was hiding like husky ears under the hood of her hoodie."

"Again, I wouldn't be surprised by that... however, I should inform my father of this development." said Mitsuru. "I wonder how he'll react..."

I shrugged. "You'd know better than me, but if I had to guess I'd say he'd be surprised and confused. I mean, aren't you?"

"Surprised and confused?" she asked. "...Truthfully, no. I'm... relieved. I wish I could thank them in some way."

"Well, stopping the Fall is probably a start." I noted. "But that brings a different question to mind; What're you going to do after all this is over? College? I heard a few of the seniors in MMA club griping about the college placement exams before break started."

"Actually, I was aiming for business school in America." answered Mitsuru. "A new business partner recently reached an agreement with the Kirijo Group, and I'd like to get the chance to see the area they're based in. I believe you might know of them."

Eyebrow. "Was it Microsoft?"

"Closer to home for you."

"Valve?"

"Closer." She said with a knowing smirk. "Fortunate Enterprises."

I just started slow clapping. "Bravo, Davis Norman. Bravo, you magnificent bastard my dad called a best friend. Funny story, he actually came up with the company name back when he and pops were getting things started."

"Really?"

"Apparently dad wasn't one for just sticking the family name on stuff... but then Davis suggested that because he's a punny guy and got dad laughing for about five minutes straight, and it stuck."

Mitsuru chuckled softly. "I see... hopefully he brings a more focused mind to the business side of things."

"Well, the company is about five years older than I am and considering that puns are probably one of the only not super serious things he does... yeah, I'd say he is." I laughed. "Just don't try and scare his assistants, even if Tracey does probably have it coming sometimes."

"Oh don't worry, Fortune. I don't intend to crush anyone under my heel... yet."

"I'd say 'Besides Akihiko', but I'm pretty sure that goes without saying at this-"

Cue an ice cube the size of a golf ball bouncing off my forehead.

"...Ow."

"Please don't do that." She said, her face bright red.

"...'kay..."

"Father seems to be looking forward to me shaking up things over there, though." Mitsuru commented. "He said something about it being long overdue..."

I hummed. "...Well, considering a few of the other clowns that work at the company, I'm not surprised he said that. Also, feel free to name drop me if you want. Bonus points for saying you've got me on speed dial because then you can just have me yell at them."

"Your name carries weight there?"

"Well there was this incident at an office party I went to when I was like fifteen and I kinda had to beat up a few guys from the mail room and accounting..."

She gave me a concerned look. "...Should I be worried?"

"Nah, they were fine. Only one of 'em got hurt enough to go to the hospital and that's because, in his state of having drank about five shots of vodka or something similar, he jumped off the fridge and tried to elbow drop an air hockey table because he mistook it for a cow."

"...I'm oddly reminded of some of the stories Shinjiro has told me about his summer visits to his cousin in Tokyo."

"Never tell me any of them." I said. "Oh, but see if you can get Mercer from the security team to get videos of you doing stuff while you're there. There needs to be a documentary about you crushing the patriarchy while you're visiting."

She frowned. "But that would give the patriarchy _HERE_ advanced warning..."

I grinned. "Not if you plot a simultaneous attack."

"That would require assistance..."

I stood up straight and saluted. "Roy Fortune at your service, Empress Kirijo."

Mitsuru chuckled again. "So then I can count on your support in this endeavor?"

"Of course. Shinji can help too."

She rolled her eyes, then pulled something out of her pocket. "Then I suppose it's only fair I hand over this."

"Eh?" I asked as she dropped something small into my hand. "...A key?"

"A spare key to my motorcycle." she replied. "Just ask if you ever need to borrow it... and get a license first."

I smiled, tucking the key into my vest pocket. "Thanks, senpai."

"You know you don't have to call me that all the time."

"Yeah, but... well, it's hard for me not to respect someone in your position, y'know? You've been handling this whole situation longer than I've known the whole story about it. Even twenty years from now when we look back on these moments with a weird sense of nostalgia that comes with time... You'll still be my senpai."

Mitsuru smiled. "I see... thank you, Roy."

**CRASH**

"GOD- fucking hell, guess it's that time again."

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"The voices?"

"Yeah. Ultimate Best Friend level has been attained on their scale or whatever."

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Empress Arcana hath been set free..._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Saint Jeanne, the Ultimate Form of the Empress Arcana..._

"...And lets me summon Saint Jeanne." I commented. "Huh. Cool..."

"...That was odd."

I looked at Mitsuru. "Don't tell me, heard something weird in your head?"

"Speaking of new strength, yes..."

"Oh goody, then I think your Persona learned a new move like that one resistance-piercing fireball Junpei picked up."

She was quiet for a moment before she grinned. "...So it would seem."

"I fully expect to be surprised by the results next time we're at Tartarus."

* * *

><p>Of course, partly due to the revelation of potential other groups of Persona Users operating in Iwatodai, Mitsuru called for a meeting sometime around noon. The stuff about the other groups was covered quickly, but there was something I wanted to add.<p>

"Hey, before we wrap this all up..." I began. "I got somethin' else to talk about."

That drew some curious looks.

"This about what happened to Koromaru's persona?" asked Shinji.

"What happened to Koro-chan?" exclaimed Fuuka.

"It's tied to that, yeah." I said. "But... well, there's another aspect that's kinda awkward to talk about because Yukari's not gonna like it."

The pink-clad archer herself gave me an odd look. "Why not?"

"Well... because to put things bluntly, the Dark Hour is legitimately haunted."

There was a pause before Yukari started laughing nervously.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" she asked. "Just messing around... was it Junpei's idea-"

"No, I'm serious." I said. "Koromaru's Persona changed because we found the ghost of his owner at Naganaki Shrine."

The color drained from Yukari's face at that.

-And three... two... one...-

Cue screaming.

-Called it.-

Fortunately Hamuko predicted it as well, because the screaming lasted for all of a second before the pinkette clasped her hand over Yukari's mouth.

"Thank you, Hamuko."

"No problem, but did his owner tell you anything?"

"Yeah, a few things. Speaking of which, he did like a Persona fusion thing so I'm guessing that now Koromaru's Cerberus looks like Kagerou's. Pretty creepy, but you guys will get the chance to see it for yourselves fairly soon." I said. "As for the things that were explained, it seems that if someone dies in the Dark Hour... they can't pass on to any sort of afterlife."

Even Yukari's muffled screaming stopped on that last word.

"Yeah. Kagerou had apparently seen more than a few of Takaya's victims trapped in there."

"Wait wait, what about Ikutsuki?" asked Junpei. "He died there, so what's-"

"Ikutsuki's ghost was basically obliterated by the monk skills Koromaru's owner had." I said, interrupting him. "So no worries, he's double dead."

Several sighs of relief filled the air.

"Okay, but why are g-ghosts getting stuck there?" asked Yukari, trying to keep her cool. "Is it just an effect of the Dark Hour?"

"I'd say it's because of how I was created." stated Ryoji. "Since it's all but completely confirmed that part of a God of Death was used to create the Arcana Shadows and myself, I'd imagine that, due to the accident, the Dark Hour is acting as a pseudo cage for the dead until Thanatos himself ushers them to the afterlife."

"...So there's upwards of two-hundred people at the least trapped in there." Akihiko said grimly. "All of them wondering what's going on and why... but why wasn't Koromaru's owner in there?"

I gestured towards Chidori. "Best guess would be what Chidori mentioned when I talked about the ghost I encountered at the Shrine earlier that day."

"Y-You met another one?"

"Yeah. It was Akinari, the terminally ill guy who came up in my journal a few times..." I replied. "...He just faded away right in front of me after saying goodbye."

Yukari squirmed in her seat, getting an attempt at a reassuring pat on the shoulder from Hamuko.

"But what did you say to him, Yoshino?"

"It was a guess I had." she replied. "Shrines are spiritual places, so unusual phenomena like what Roy described would most likely happen there... and if Koromaru's owner was a monk and a Persona User, it wouldn't be too far fetched to assume he wouldn't be completely trapped in the Dark Hour."

I shrugged. "I thought the same thing, admittedly."

"...So ANYONE who dies in the Dark Hour would be stuck there if they didn't have a Persona?"

All eyes turned to Ken.

"...Seems to be the case." I answered, already having a hunch where he was going with this. "Why?"

"...That means my mom is trapped there."

-...So Kagerou really was talking about her.- I thought as the room went quiet again... and I noticed a few people looking at me. -Meaning... she bumped into them on the bridge...-

"...Dad too..."

Then everyone's attention was on Yukari.

"Plus..." began Ryoji, slowly turning his head. "Well..." His eyes fell on me. "...His parents."

"Add them up with everyone Takaya's offed... and might continue to off if we're not lucky..." said Shinjiro. "...Shit, this is so messed up. What the hell is gonna happen to them when the Dark Hour is gone?"

I shrugged. "No idea. We'd probably have to find Thanatos to find out."

"And how're we supposed to do that?" asked Junpei. "He's a god, and aside from the spider one who likes to heckle Roy, we don't exactly have a track record of finding them."

"Well if part of him was tied to the experiment that lead to its creation, it's possible Thanatos is trapped in the Dark Hour as well." said Fuuka. "So if we can end the Dark Hour, we could free him and he could help all of those people..."

"Here's hoping..." I sighed. "Christ, there's not even enough words in my vocabulary to describe how fucked up this getting. It's like the home stretch of things is also digging up all the crap we didn't already know about this."

"Nothing we can really do about it, though." stated Akihiko. "We have to wait till the thirty first... then we can end this once and for all."

* * *

><p>I wasn't not quite sure why at the time, but a little while after we had lunch, I saw Yukari talking with Aigis about something... then march on up to me and half drag me out of the dorm. I'm pretty sure it was at that exact moment I really realized that Yukari is scary strong for a thin looking girl... though I did question why she was bringing me with her to the mall.<p>

"Since when was I the go-to shopping bag pack mule?" I asked as we stepped off at Port Island Station. "Because that's what looks like is gonna happen..."

"...I needed an excuse to talk to you alone."

Eyebrow. "So we're heading to a public mall to go shopping."

"It's not the best laid plan, yeah..." she said. "But... I figured it could help."

"Help with what?"

Yukari hesitated before answering. "...Getting your mind off your parents. It's not really healthy to dwell on it."

"Why would I be dwelling on it?" I asked. "It's an old, well-healed wound at this point."

"Even with the chance to talk to them again?"

There wasn't any way I wasn't going to answer that question. "...Can't deny I didn't think about it earlier."

"I'm pretty sure Ken-kun has thought about it, too." she noted. "I can't hold it against him, though... even if he and Shinjiro-san get along better now, he might really need some closure."

"...What about you?"

She shivered. "...I saw him once already."

"Huh?"

"...It's why I'm scared of ghosts." she said. "It was the day I joined SEES... right after Archery club, I thought I heard someone calling out to me. When I looked, I..."

"Saw the half invisible figure of your dad staring at you?"

She nodded. "Yeah... I ran screaming back into the club room."

"Harsh."

Another nod. "I guess... he's been staying away ever since."

"...Would you talk to him if you had the chance, though?"

"I don't know." replied Yukari. "...What would I even say to him?"

I shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. It's... hard to think about what you'd say to someone you lost years ago when a chance to see them again is laid at your feet." I looked at her. "Because you've moved on... and now it's like it doesn't matter."

"Ha... you could probably teach Edogawa a thing or two about psychology at this point."

"I'm not wrong though, am I?"

She sighed. "...No. Mom calling yesterday didn't help matters..."

"What'd she call you about this time?"

"She was trying to mend the bridge between us... even if she did a bad job of it."

Eyebrow. "How'd she manage to make things worse?"

"...She started going steady with some guy." answered Yukari. "She wanted my opinion on it, but I said Hamuko and I were about to go into a movie theater so I could get out of answering her."

"Are you ever gonna?"

She shook her head. "No. Never will, either... some cuts run too deep to ever heal."

"That seems kinda harsh..." I said. "Or has this been going on for a long time?"

"Since a month after he died. She just kept jumping from boyfriend to boyfriend... probably trying to fill the gap dad left."

My jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

I whistled. "Wow... on one hand, I feel bad for your mom. On the other hand... goddamn that is some intense grieving."

"I didn't really have the best reaction when I found out, either..." she added. "But... well, I was seven. Not really the best time to find a strange man in mom's bed."

"Yikes..."

Yukari nodded slowly. "Yeah..." A sigh. "I just don't care what she does anymore. That particular bridge has been ash for years... kind of pointless to dump water on it now."

"At least she's making something of an effort to fix things."

"I guess..."

"...Yet it's too little, too late?"

She swayed slightly as we continued walking. "...I probably sound heartless, don't I?"

"A little, but I can't blame you. Given what happened with my cousin and his parents... I've seen what grief can do to people."

"For what it's worth... I do feel bad about leaving it like this..."

"Need a mediator?"

"Mitsuru would terrify her, Hamuko would spend three days lecturing her."

"I meant me."

Yukari looked at me. "You?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'd like to think I'm good with people." I said. "Plus it's less likely to come to blows if there's a six foot redhead looming over everybody."

"...You might just end up scaring my mom."

"Chairs exist and I know how to sit in one."

She sighed. "That's not what I meant, Roy."

"Oh I know."

"...What am I supposed to do with you?"

I grinned. "Keep being my friend?"

"You're impossible sometimes." she said, elbowing me.

"But would you have it any other way?"

She seemed to ponder on it for a minute. "...Not likely."

**CRASH**

"GAH"

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"Ow! That was my ear..."

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Lovers Arcana hath been set free..._

"Sorry. Spooky voices snuck up on me."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Osiris, the Ultimate Form of the Lovers Arcana..._

"...And they have a fucking terrible sense of humor."

"To say nothing of their etiquette..."

"Don't tell me, they just heckled you as well?"

She nodded. "I think so... Something about untapped strength, but why is their humor bad?"

"I've hit the 'end' of the Social Link with you and they said 'hey you can summon Osiris now'."

She made a face like she was trying to place the name for a moment, then her expression turned confused. "...Isn't that-"

"It is, and that's why they're pricks."

* * *

><p>As it turned out once Yukari and me actually got to the store, another reason she dragged me along as because, and I quote, 'It's a pain to pick things out for a giant when he's not there', so I ended up leaving that particular part of the mall with a sharp-looking blazer she got for me. I still got to carry a bunch of bags but eh, I couldn't complain about it much. What I did complain about, though, was the fact that most of us realized when we saw Junpei and Ryoji doing their homework that we'd managed to forget we HAD homework over break, so instead of going to Tartarus on the last three days of break, we stayed up late doing said homework. Well, when I say 'we' I don't include me in that – Aigis and I had been knocking that shit out already... not that she ever really needed excuses to hang out in my room. But even if I wanted to, Ryoji had somehow managed to get so goddamn stuck he needed help from both Fuuka AND Aigis, so I was in my room alone on the last day of break... well, not entirely. Mira was there but a spider's not exactly the best company... even if wondering why it seemed like she would bounce up and down excitedly whenever I put food into her tank was surprisingly good at killing time. Anyways, I headed downstairs to get a snack or five and found Ken on the sofa.<p>

"Yo." I called out to him as I headed into the kitchen. "There a new Featherman on late or something?"

"H-Huh?" I heard him stammer, sounding like he'd jumped when I spoke up. "Oh-Oh, hello Roy-san... but um, no... I just lost track of time."

I laughed as dug through the cupboards. "Happens to everyone sometimes."

"I guess, but..." he sighed. "Well, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said a couple days ago."

A moment later, and I walked out of the kitchen with a bag of cookies in hand. "...The thing about spirits trapped in the Dark Hour?"

"Yeah..."

I sat down next to him on the couch. "Wanna see your mom, huh?"

A nod was Ken's response.

"Well... depending on how far she may or may not have gotten since Kagerou saw her, she could be hanging around near the dorm by now."

He looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"Koro's owner said he saw her near the shrine about a week before Koro and I found him."

"How? Our house was over on Port Island... did she just walk here?"

I nodded. "Probably. She's had at least eight-hundred hours to do it in."

"...Oh right, because it's only a short amount of time in there..."

"Eyup. And if there's nothing else to do, walking around the city is probably appealing. Doubt she'd get tired."

"...Can I ask you for a favor then?"

I looked at him as I munched on a cookie. "Sure."

"Do you mind staying up with me then?" he asked. "...If... if mom really does show up... I don't wanna meet her alone."

"Sure thing." I said with a grin. "I'm almost nocturnal anyways because of the Dark Hour."

Ken kinda stared at me. "So does that make you a great horned owl?"

"Oh sure, make an Oni joke." I grumbled. "Wouldn't be the first one since that all came to light."

"Do I at least get points for creativity?"

"Twenty one."

"Out of how many?"

"Twenty five."

He did a victory fist pump. "Yes!"

I just rolled my eyes and continued snacking, though the room went fairly quiet for a few minutes till Ken spoke up again.

"...I wonder what she'd think." he said. "About me getting caught up in all this."

"Guess that's just somethin' you'll have to ask her, y'know?"

"...Yeah..."

I glanced at my watch.

"...Half hour till midnight." I said, then I looked at the Wii in the lounge, then at Ken. "...Smash bros?"

"You're on."

* * *

><p>"HOW THE SHIT DID YOU DO THAT"<p>

"Watching Fuuka-san teaches you things."

* * *

><p>So after a nearly twenty-seven minute timed match of Smash Bros that ended with Ken having sufficiently whooped my ass with Captain Falcon, we only had a couple minutes left till midnight.<p>

"Nervous?"

"Can you blame me for saying yes?"

"Nope."

He sighed. "It's just... I've wondered about everything so much, and talking with Shinjiro-san only helped so much..."

"Well, I doubt she won't be happy to see you again." I offered. "So you've got that going for ya at least."

"Yeah, true..." Ken said, taking a nervous breath as midnight hit.

And then approximately a quarter of a second later, something hit me in the back of the head.

I bit back a yelp as I jumped to my feet and span around. "What the crap?"

_(And just what do _YOU_ think you're doing with my son?) _demanded the specter standing behind the sofa. Between her hair and the look on her face, I didn't even have to try to guess it was Ken's mom.

"Talking with him!" I hissed. "The frig did you think I was doing?"

_(Considering how much alcohol you must-)_

"I hate booze! And I'm only sixteen anyways!"

She arched an eyebrow at me,_ (...You're a terrible excuse for an Oni, then.)_

I looked between the ghost and Ken. "...Okay. Yeah. A lot of things about Ken make a lot more sense now."

Admittedly, I'd expected a remark from him about that instead of what he actually said.

"...M-Mom...?" he stammered. "It's..." He leapt over the back of the couch and, surprisingly, didn't phase through her when he hit her. "It's really you!"

_(Well look at you, sweetie...)_ she chuckled softly as her son clung to her. _(You've grown so much!)_

"Okay, two questions." I said, semi interrupting them. "One, do you know what year it is? Two, how did you even find out he was here?"

_(Twenty-ten. I can still read a newspaper, you know.)_ retorted Ken's mother. _(And the big guy told me.)_

"Which one? There's three here besides me."

_(The brunette who scowls a lot.)_

Ken looked up at her. "...Really?"

_(I had to whallop him to get him to stop apologizing first, but yes.) _she replied. _(And I'm gonna need that book back.)_

I looked over my shoulder and what I can only describe as a ghost book was on the floor.

"...Don't worry, I won't stop you from picking it up."

_(You can touch it, you know.)_

"You can't make me open it." I said, carefully retrieving the spectral book from the floor.

_(It's not the necronomicon.)_

"You can never be too cautious in my experience!" I countered as I handed her the tome.

She just looked at her son. _(What kinds of friends have you made?)_

"Roy-san is far from the worst..." he said, finally letting go so he could stand on the floor. "But... how long have you been looking for me?"

_(A while, as it turned out...)_ she said, sounding noticeably annoyed.

"...Did you... were you worried about me?"

_(Of course I was!)_ she said. _(Name a mother who doesn't worry about their son and I will show you someone who isn't human.)_

"Hey now..."

_(...Okay, that was poor word choice. Sorry.)_

I nodded. "Thank you."

"...I miss you, mom."

I turned to look at Ken as his mother knelt down and gave him a hug.

_(I miss you too, Ken.)_

"...Is it wrong of me to be scared?" He asked.

She pulled back enough to look him in the eye. _(Why are you scared?)_

"...Well..."

* * *

><p><em>(...So not only do you know WHAT this stupid thing is...) <em>Ken's mother began about twenty minutes later. _(...You're considering fighting a GOD to get rid of it?)_

"Not considering, going to." I clarified. "Because waiting around to die is stupid."

_(I'll give you that, but a GOD?)_

"I know one and a half more!"

She gave me a look. _(How do you know half a god?)_

"Mochizuki."

_(Oh right. The one who was sealed in your mind, yes?)_

"Yeah. But seriously, if we don't do something, then nothing's gonna get fixed and well... yeah, the Dark Hour will get a lot more populated."

"Plus it's not like fighting is the only option." Ken added. "Roy-san thinks we might be able to talk Nyx into not hurting anyone."

_(Well given the track record some gods have for getting duped by mortals, that wouldn't surprise me.)_

I stared at her for a second, then shook my head. "Why is you knowing that surprising to me, you have a lot of free time..."

_(I knew that even before this happened to me. A girl needs her hobbies.)_

"...Hey, mom?"

_(Yes sweetie?)_

"...Are you... proud of me?"

She gave him a perplexed look. _(Why wouldn't I be?)_

"I've done stupid stuff..." he said. "...Almost something horrible..."

_(Everyone does stupid things, Ken. And if you regret it, it doesn't make you horrible; it just means you're learning.)_

"...Even though I... I wanted to..."

She bopped him on the head with her book. _(Honestly, you and the grumpy one are so alike.)_

"His name's Shinjiro."

_(Ah, thank you...)_

"Roy."

_(...That's-)_

"My dad's from the United States."

_(Ah, that makes more sense.)_

"...What do you mean, mom?"

_(Shinjiro was... quite apologetic about what happened that night.)_

"Dunno how he acted around you, but... well, just let's say he was pretty damn hard on himself when he met your husband."

_(I see... but Ken, really, try to relax a bit. You're allowed to make mistakes as you grow up.)_ she said, kneeling down to eye level with him again. _(If you don't, you never learn anything, so take the lesson to heart, okay...?)_

"...Mom?"

_(Yes?)_

He hugged her tight. "You're still awesome."

_(I love you too Ken, but you should get to bed, mister.)_ she said, hugging him back.

"...Hey, um..."

Ken's mom looked up at me. _(Chika.)_

"Right. Can you... do me a favor?"

She made a confused face. _(What kind of favor do you need from a ghost?)_

"...Can you tell my folks I'll come visit them soon?"

_(...I would if I could-)_

"They died on the Moonlight Bridge."

_(Oh, that sweet couple are your mom and dad?)_ she asked, sounding genuinely surprised. _(Sure. I was going to head back that way soon anyhow.)_

"...Thanks."

_(It's the least I can do, since you're helping my little hero save the day.)_ She said, ruffling Ken's hair as she stood up.

"Mom..." he grumbled, but it wasn't hard to tell he was happy about that.

"I try." I replied sheepishly. "Kinda wish we'd found out about him being lactose intolerant sooner, but better late than never I guess..."

_(That's fine.) _

"...You're gonna get going now, mom?"

_(Yes. As much as I'd like to stay, you wouldn't get any sleep with me here.)_ she said, hugging Ken again and kissing him on the forehead. _(I love you and I'll keep looking after you and your silly father.)_

"I love you too."

_(And stop harassing the older boys so much.)_

"Mom!"

Chika giggled. _(Just because I can't see you all the time doesn't mean I'm not going to be a responsible parent.)_

Ken just grumbled while his mom walked out of the dorm... right through the front door. Like in the 'phased through it' sort of way. Kinda creepy seeing it for real.

"...Feel better now?"

It took a minute, but he nodded. "...Yeah. A lot better."

"Needed to talk to her that bad, huh?"

"Kinda..." he replied with a nervous laugh. "I guess I'm just glad to hear her voice again..."

"...Yeah, I know that feeling..."

"...Sorry."

I waved it off. "Don't sweat it, Ken."

"Okay..." he said, a small chuckle escaping him a moment later. "But now... now I know really gotta solve this stuff with Nyx. No way I'm gonna disappoint mom!"

I laughed. "That's the Featherman Spirit. Ain't over till it's over, right?"

"Right!" he agreed with a sharp nod. "Oh, but speaking of Featherman..."

He scurried back around the sofa and, to my surprise, he pulled a plastic bag out from under it.

"What's this?" I asked as he rummaged through it.

"I got you something." Ken replied simply, pulling out a pair of identical Featherman...

"Holy crap, how did you manage to get TWO of the Red Phoenix Ranger?"

He grinned, handing one of them to me. "I got lucky, I guess."

"You gotta teach me how you do that subtlety thing, dude." I said, looking at the figure. -Jeez, this isn't a cheap one either. He really went all out.- "You're way too good at it."

"Maybe next time we go to Tartarus." laughed Ken. "But... thanks, Roy."

"Eh? For what?"

He smiled. "For being friends with me."

"Anytime, little buddy." I said, smiling as well. "I try my best, but it doesn't mean much if there's not somebody to share it with."

**CRASH**

"Oh, go away already."

"Huh?"

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"It's besties time according to the voices."

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Devil Arcana hath been set free..._

"Oh, that."

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Cthulhu, the Ultimate Form of the Devil Arcana..._

"...Ken."

"Yeah?"

"Us being best friends apparently means I can summon Cthulhu now."

"...Awesome."

* * *

><p>Ken and I went to bed after that, mainly because school started back up in the morning. Aigis and I were heading to Gekkoukan together and overheard a slightly worrying conversation at the shoe lockers.<p>

"Hey, have you heard of this cult?"

The two of us turned our heads towards the speaker, a first year who was chatting with who I presume was a friend of theirs.

"Hey, don't call it that if you don't know anything about it." griped the friend. "The Fall is coming; it's already decided."

The first guy seemed to relax a bit. "Oh... well, if it's already decided, then it can't be helped. By the way, about the homework for second period..."

"It seems even Gekkoukan Students are among the ranks of the Nyxists..." noted Aigis.

"Yeah... things could get out of hand real fast at any moment now." I said. "Stay on your toes, okay?"

"I will."

* * *

><p>Thankfully aside from those two guys that morning, it seemed like nobody else at school cared much about the cult. Good for us, I suppose. That said, since we'd gotten somewhat behind on the monster slaying, we headed to Tartarus that night. In a surprise change, though, Mitsuru insisted everybody go up the tower this time. Can't say I blame her – better to not take chances when we're this close to the end... especially not when the tower is pulling out all the real dick moves to try and stop us. The Judgement Link shouted at me again along the way up, but that's not too terribly important. What was, however, were the three annoying Shadows we ran into on a Guardian Floor.<p>

"LOOK OUT!"

Ryoji and Ken scrambled out of the way of a charged attack from one of the Shadows that punctured a good five feet through the floor. The rest of us didn't get much of a chance to retaliate, however, as one of the other ones unleashed a huge slashing attack across the area.

"Damn it!" Akihiko growled. "I can't get close to these things!"

"Neither can most of us!" I called out. "HIT THE DECK!"

A blast of lightning flew across the area, most of us thankfully dodging it, but fewer evading the following slash wave.

"Yukari-chan, do your thing!" shouted Hamuko. "I'm gonna see if I can slow these bastards down!"

"Right!"

The sound of two personae getting evoked rang out a moment later.

"Wings of Isis, Soar!"

"Looks like you need to cool off!"

Wind and Ice swirled around the battlefield, parts of the Shadows even freezing over a little while SEES got back to their feet. Neat thing Yukari had apparently picked up from us becoming besties – A wind attack that also healed allies. Speaking of new things, though...

Koromaru howled, his Persona arising behind him as another voice rang out.

"BEGONE FROM THIS WORLD!"

Cloaked in a searing inferno, Cerberus lunged towards the Shadows. And when I say 'searing', I mean it; These Shadows apparently resist fire according to Fuuka and one of them all but literally just MELTED when Cerberus pounced on it, and the other two didn't get off much better just from being near the flames. The ice and wind from earlier probably didn't help matters... speaking of which, the ice on the ground flash evaporated when Cerberus did that attack so that should probably say something about how hot it is!

Even with that in mind, though, the remaining Shadows still weren't through with us. One started charging up, but the other one started glowing. Like, not in the 'gathering power' way, but in the 'going to explode' way. Good news was Aigis noticed that, and I heard the tell-tale sound of her activating Orgia Mode coming from behind me.

"You will not withstand this!" she shouted before Athena rushed past, doing a three hit attack that cleaved, smashed, and punctured both the Shadows. The one that was charging exploded after the third hit, but the exploding one was clinging to life enough to finish detonating. The blast filled the whole room... but after that, nothing. It barely even hurt.

"...The hell did it just do?" asked Shinjiro.

"Something pointless from the looks of it..." commented Junpei. "But man, good job, Koromaru!"

The shiba barked happily as Junpei scratched him behind the ears.

"Guess your crazy friendship shenanigans are good for a lot more than powering up yourself, huh?" giggled Hamuko, elbowing me.

I laughed as I picked myself up off the ground while Yukari and Ken started healing everyone. "Yeah. Now it's a group effort."

**CRASH**

"Yes, thank you Judgement Arcana, now shut up."

* * *

><p>I couldn't help but shake an uneasy feeling as we got closer and closer to the final Guardian of the tower. It wasn't helped when, with a preceding shout of 'Fall into a chilling slumber', Mitsuru dropped a fairly large Shadow from 'hardly been hurt' to 'completely dead' with an ice attack, but that's probably me getting concerned about the downsides of pissing off the people I call my closest friends. That aside, the last Guardian floor was... different. Instead of just the normal large room with a hallway leading to some useful loot, the teleporter, and the way up... the room was large enough it extended part way OUT of the Tower with a rather impressive view of Port Island and Iwatodai. It kinda reminded me of the place Ikutsuki had us all taken to, except with more macabre encroaching on the gem-covered interior of the Adamah block. As for the actual Shadow, though...<p>

"...What the fuck is this thing?" I asked aloud, staring at the Shadow. It did not look even remotely intimidating for what SHOULD be the strongest Shadow in the entire tower short of the Reaper.

"A multi armed gimp on a rocking horse?" offered Hamuko. "I've never really tried to figure out the deal with Jotun shadows..."

"Yamagishi, what can you tell us about it?"

There was a pause before Fuuka responded. _{...It's... different than most, but other than that, it absorbs almost all kinds of damage. Piercing attacks should still work, but... what is this I'm sensing?}_

"Let's just get this over with." Shinjiro grunted. "We ain't got all night to kill it."

"Persona!"

Usas appeared and a spike of energy exploded right in the Shadow's chest, causing it to rock violently but otherwise... it didn't even react.

"The hell?"

"Here, let me try!" said Ken, readying his evoker. "Witness the divine light!"

An explosion of blue mist later, and Themis launched a mighty glowing spear right at the Jotun Shadow. The spear slammed right into its chest, but again it didn't react beyond swaying back and forth a few times.

Several arrows and some bullets struck the Shadow, but again it just ignored it.

"Hey, Fuuka... you sure we're hurting it?" asked Ryoji as Junpei unleashed a barrage of spiked shots at it.

{Positive! I can tell it's wounded, but... why isn't it attacking us?}

"Hamuko-san, let's try again!"

"Okay Ken-kun! Persona!"

Themis and Usas appeared again, launching an energy spear and energy spike respectively at the Shadow. This time actually provoked something of a reaction; part of the Shadow's neck and left shoulder were completely blasted off. Of course, that's when things actually got bad.

_{What the...? Something's coming out of it!}_

"Whaddya mean 'coming out of it'?" exclaimed Yukari before the Shadow started making strange groaning noises.

Its fat body convulsed and strange... well, the best way to describe what started pouring out of the wound in its neck would be literally blue blood. The blood seemed to flow around the body of the Shadow aside from the mask... which started to splinter and crack. Once the entire Shadow, rocking horse and all, was encased, the thing started... walking away. More towards the edge. As it neared, the silvery Hanged Man mask exploded into pieces, and was replaced by something different. It was a black mask that resembled a human skull, but with a single dark gray mark that made it look like it came off of a cyclops and pointier teeth. Dark gray edges around the side offset it enough to be noticed, but it wasn't until the Shadow was about to fall off the edge that I saw the roman numerals on the mask.

XIII.

"What the hell is going on?" Akihiko shouted as the Shadow fell off the edge.

_{The Shadow... it's transforming!}_

"WHAT?"

The most ghastly, roaring wailing noise I've ever heard in my entire life was our reply as a scaly blue claw reached up to grab the edge of the platform. Three reptilian heads rose up afterwards alongside another claw as the Shadow climbed back up, the black mask visible at the base of the middle head's neck. It roared again, and let me tell you, what sounds like the tortured, grief-stricken screams of tormented souls along side some kind of demonic roar is easily one of the least pleasant sounds to hear.

Aigis and Yukari had pretty good retorts to the roaring; start shooting the bastard. Bullets and Arrows imbedded themselves in its hide, and not to be left out, both Mitsuru and Koromaru did something to break the Shadow's Fire and Ice resistances. Chidori quickly capitalized on the opening.

"I will dance in your ashes!" She proclaimed as Hestia appeared, and an instant later the area around the giant Shadow was ablaze with dizzying heat. Literally dizzying, even, as the Shadow itself did not look on top of its game after that attack.

"Fuuka, how're they doing?" Akihiko called out as Caesar threw some of its debilitating abilities at the Shadow, who was presently trying to get back on its feet.

_{It's... it's getting hurt, but its endurance is insane! I've never seen a Shadow give readings like this before!}_

"Lovely!" I called out sarcastically, sifting through Personas in my head. "C'mon, something's gotta... AH HA! Let's try this guy!"

-Decarabia... Loki... Susano-O...- A glowing circle surrounded my feet. "KHONSU!"

What exploded out of the azure flames was, admittedly, not what I was expecting. It appeared to be a guy in a silvery cloak, carrying a staff with one of those Egyptian 'Ankh' things at the top of it, and wearing a hawk-like mask with a floating disk above his head that seemed to depict the moon. It wasted no time in summoning a blast of white energy, unmistakably a Megidolaon, to strike the Shadow... and blast off one of its heads at the neck. Combined efforts from Hamuko, Mitsuru, and Koromaru blasted off another head, while the third was sundered by Shinjiro, Junpei, and Chidori. The headless Shadow slumped to the ground as its heads evaporated, but nobody took any steps closer to it.

"...Is it dead?" asked Ryoji.

It twitched.

"No..." replied Chidori. "No it's not!"

Everyone who was within six feet of the Shadow scrambled backwards as the neck stumps started bubbling with blue blood, which shortly spurted out a total of SIX new heads, which promptly roared again before each one unleashed a white beam of energy, not being picky about the targets.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" I shouted as I dove out of the line of fire. "It's a fucking Hydra!"

"What's a Hydra?" I heard Ken call out amongst the furious sounds of battle going on around me.

"Mythical lizard dragon thing that grows two heads to replace one that gets cut off!" I replied, summoning Pixie to heal everyone. "So if we wanna kill it, we gotta do it in one big blast!"

Shinjiro's Persona shoved away one of the heads while the man himself looked at me. "How the hell do we do that? We have to keep undoing its ability to just heal off of our attacks!"

"I'm working on it!" I called out, switching Personas. "Anansi!"

With a flick of his wrist, two fiery cards were hurled at the Hydra right as Koromaru broke its fire resistance again. They seemed to affect it about as much as thinking bad thoughts at it would do.

_{It's getting stronger!}_ Fuuka reported.

"I noticed!" shouted Ryoji as he called forth Thanatos. It did that exploding orange energy blast attack again, but aside from leaving a gash along the neck of one of the heads it didn't really seem to do much. "What the hell, is it immune to ailments or something?"

_{I think so, but it's getting harder for me to scan! I might not be able to tell you more about it soon!}_

Junpei growled in annoyance as Trismegistus blasted the Shadow with a fireball. "Great, this just keeps getting better!"

"Themis!" "Hestia!"

Another glowing spear lanced through the air, severing a head as a debilitating sphere of energy impacted the Shadow. It roared in anger as two more heads grew, bringing the total up to seven as an orb of light appeared around it for a moment before shattering.

_{It undid the weakening... oh no, everyone watch out! It's charging up!}_

The moment Fuuka said that, though, the Shadow unleashed a massive blast of energy across the entire battlefield. I don't think any of us were able to dodge it... I'll admit, I thought we were pretty hosed when that happened...

_{I won't let you hurt them!}_

...But instead of searing pain, I found myself staring through what looked like the front of Juno's ballgown.

"Holy shit, what was that?"

_{It... it worked! I... I blocked the attack!}_

"Thank you very much, Fuuka Yamagishi!" I said, summoning Odin to firstly break the Shadow's electricity resistance and secondly to Thunder Reign the everloving fuck out of it. It worked a little... but to my dismay, it struck the gash Ryoji had made on the neck of one of the heads earlier and blasted part of it off right as that lance attack from Ken tore off a different head. Another bellowing roar brought the entire fight to a complete stop, since we all started covering our ears, even Aigis, because now there were nine goddamn heads screaming at us.

_{IT'S CHARGING AGAIN!}_

"I'll make this quick!"

Caesar appeared and a massive, crashing barrage of electricity was dropped on the giant Shadow. It was still going.

"KEEP HITTING IT!" I heard Junpei bellow defiantly as everyone threw everything they could at it in an attempt to hurt it. But no matter how much damage we heaped on it, it wouldn't stop. And then...

_{LOOK OUT!}_

The next thing I know, there's a giant explosion and my vision turned to nothing but light. It hurt. Everything hurt. I heard everyone screaming.

-No... it's not over...!- I thought, trying to keep my footing in the maelstrom of energy washing over the battlefield. -I... refuse... to die! We've come too far...!-

I lost my balance as pain shot up my leg... I started to lose feeling everywhere. I couldn't see through all the white light everywhere. For a moment, I honestly thought it might've been the end of us... but then something happened.

_{PLEASE, YOU CAN'T GIVE UP YET!}_

I managed to land on one knee amidst the blast, and the strangest feeling of... I guess clarity? It's one of those things you just don't explain... at least, not to your full capacity. But something else was on my mind as the pain just seemed to disappear.

I couldn't give up. I WOULDN'T give up. This fucking Shadow thought it could stop us, but FUCK THIS SHADOW. He'll stop us OVER MY SMOULDERING CORPSE!

_**'I am thou... and thou art I...'**_

The torrent of energy suddenly subsided, and something was standing infront of me.

_**'From the sea of thine soul, the resolution of thine heart calls forth new power...'**_

A wave of dark crimson flame swirled before my eyes, the confused shouting of my friends filling the air along side an equally confused sounding roar from the Shadow.

_**'Anansi has given rise to Kwaku Anansi!'**_

"I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET, YA BASTARD!" I screamed, the red flames swiftly being replaced with blue ones as I vaguely comprehended the back of my new Persona. Several cards floated past my field of vision, and the next thing I know, I'm bombarded with images. "NOT BY A LONG SHOT!"

A gold and silver dragon to my left. A king to my right. Two gods in front of me. An electric beast and a hunting dog at my feet. Two women behind me – one carrying a staff adorned with a pelican, the other had long hair and a dress that seemed to flow like the surface of a lake.

The images changed rapidly. Nine presences rushed outward, and soon I'm assaulted by the sight of blue scales and various colors of light... and also one of the Hydra's heads, because it seems I'm also grappling with at least one of its faces.

I heard shouting around me. It echoed like I was hearing it from several angles. My head felt like it was trying to split open, but I still managed to say something, even if it echoed like everything else.

"I CAN'T HOLD THIS THING FOREVER! SOMEBODY FUCKING KILL IT!"

I tried to focus, to actually see what was happening, but my vision started to swim and blur and the pain in my skull just kept getting worse. An angry shout rang out before a bright light assaulted my eyes, and before I know it, I'm back to just being on the ground and my head's throbbing a lot less. I shakily stood up, trying to keep my balance but holy fucking hell, I felt so strange.

"Roy!"

"Eh...?" I sputtered, slowly turning my head as everyone was rushing towards me. They all looked like hell... their clothes and faces cut, bruised, and slightly singed to various degrees. "What's... what's up?"

"What the hell did you just do?" asked Junpei, putting his hands on both my shoulders. "That was insane, even for you!"

I blinked. "Um... all I know is I have a new persona and then my head felt like someone was taking thirteen sledgehammers to it... also I grabbed that Shadow by one of its faces or something...? Shit, I don't even know..."

Several confused looks were exchanged before Ryoji stepped closer.

"Roy... you threw NINE Personas at that Shadow!" he said. "At the same time, no less!"

I blinked again, turning towards Aigis. "...I did?"

"Yes, you did." she replied with a nod. "I didn't even think that was possible..."

"Apparently it is if we just witnessed it..."

I groaned as a pretty large ache went through my head. "Not the best idea ever, though... good lord, this must be what a hangover is like..."

"Maybe we should call it a night..." said Hamuko. "I don't think any of us, much less Roy, are in any shape to go further..."

I held up one hand as I dug through my vest with the other. "Fuuka, how far are we from the barrier?"

"Um... about two floors."

"I'm not going home until I kick that damn barricade at least once." I announced, finding what I was looking for. "Lemme just have some of this Soma stuff so my brain can function properly again..."

I heard a sigh from Mitsuru. "Please tell me you're joking..."

"Nope." I grunted after taking a swig of Soma. "We are getting to that damn barricade TONIGHT if I have to smash through walls to get us to the stairs faster."

Chidori just shook her head. "You are without a doubt the strangest person I know, Roy."

"It is a title I wear with great pride, Chidori."

**CRASH**

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"Eh? What cha' want, spooky voices?"

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Judgement Arcana hath been set free..._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Merlin, the Ultimate Form of the Judgement Arcana..._

"Cool beans, I can throw Merlin at things-"

**CRASH**

"-JESUS what now?"

_I am thou... thou art I..._

_Thy will is tempered... unleash thine inner strength, and strike with the full fury of thine soul..._

"What happened?"

"...You guys all heard a voice talking about Inner strength before you got those crazy new skills of yours, right?"

They all nodded uneasily.

"Cool, cuz I just heard that one too so now we're all on the shadow murder train of victory." I dramatically pointed to the stairs the best I could. "ONWARD, FRIENDS!"

* * *

><p>Despite our condition, we managed to press on and reached the barricade in record time. True to my word, I kicked the damn thing before I half staggered to the teleporter thing with everyone else so we could get out of the tower. Of course it seems there was still one more god damn surprise it had in store for us...<p>

"...Where the hell did that giant fucking door come from?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes -<strong> Hello there Door to Monad, how nice to see you. But yes, as you hopefully saw in the review answers at the top of the chapter, Roy's Ultimate Persona is NOT the Ultimate Judgement Persona. It was a slip up I'd made on accident when I answered that review last chapter. Sorry!

And yes, you can expect an explanation for what the hell Roy did against the Hydra of Grief, who killed the damn thing, AND why the hell it mutated into that form in the first place in the coming chapters. Also, if you guys want, I can put a list of the Unique Skills that SEES has been using ever since their Social Links maxed out in the Author Notes for Chapter 36. I'd put them here, but... well, that'd spoil the surprise for what Roy's is and we can't have that! What I can tell you is what Personae he summoned to join Kwaku Anansi in grappling the Hydra so it actually COULD get blasted into oblivion. They're all Ultimate Personae of a social link, so I'll list them in order they were described by Roy and note their Arcana as well: Pendragon(Aeon), King Arthur(Magician), Hades(Moon), Persephone(Fortune), Raijuu(Star), Sirius(Strength), Henet(Priestess), and Nimue(Temperance).

I'll definitely try to get Roy to summon and describe every Ultimate Persona he's gotten that's not from P3 canon while SEES is slogging through Monad, though, so don't worry, they'll all get their day in the limelight... well, except Cthulhu. He gets to be special and have multiple appearances because it's Cthulhu. And yes, Kwaku Anansi will get described... or you could just look at the cover image for the Story. The Persona behind Roy is Kwaku Anansi! You guys have been seeing a spoiler for months and never knew! MWAHAHAHA!


	36. A Song of Fire and Spiders

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**Delta XII** **-** Sorry, not TTGL songs in Reshuffled! That one's all in your silly mind. As for that last thing, though... CHALLENGE FUCKING ACCEPTED.

**Droplet of Sour** **-** I'll be honest, I was legitimately surprised to see you posted a review at all. And... you're completely right. P3's characters are pretty weak because the story doesn't care about how well they interact with each other. If I wasn't absolutely beyond sick of trying to re-write P3 at this point, I might go back and re-work earlier chapters of Reshuffled to be better quality. Shame I didn't figure out the trick to fixing things a long time ago, but... I'm still much more content with how this story has gone than I am with how the original AFNF went.

**The Worldwalker -** I don't have Smash 4 yet, but just at a glance at the roster, I'd say Robin is my favorite newcomer. Fire Emblem Awakening is also a fantastic game and more people should play it. Also the names and effects of the new SEES skills will be included in the Author notes at the bottom.

Thanks to **PuppeteerOfHearts**, **Ella Lucarita**, and **ScarfDrilbur** for helping get past a bit of writing block that had me stuck about halfway through this. And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

><p>"It... wasn't here when we got here..."<p>

**'It is the door to-'**

I just pointed in the direction I thought the Reaper's voice came from. "YOU can just shush I am going home because I am tired and FUCK YOU."

There was a pause.

**'...Rude.'**

"He's... had a rough night."

**'I noticed.'**

* * *

><p>I felt so damn out of it the entire way back. Whatever the hell I did had definitely fucked up my head something fierce. Good news was I had more than a few shoulders to lean on the entire way back if I needed to. Bad news was school in the morning, but that's just to be expected I suppose. In that same vein, however, the unexpected had become something close to the norm for me, which lead to an oddly rude awakening after I hit my alarm clock so it would shut the hell up.<p>

"Neh."

I rolled over onto my back, my eyes still shut.

"Neh, Oni-kun."

I just grumbled.

"Oni-kun, wake up!"

With an agitated grunt, I sat up. "What...?"

I looked around and, to my confusion nobody was there.

"Hey."

Looking down, I saw a very tiny girl staring at me from the foot of my bed. And I mean 'tiny' as in 'is like a foot tall' and wearing a spider-themed outfit with messy black and orange hair on her head.

"I'm hungry." she said, marching up to poke me in the chest. "Get me some oranges."

"...What."

"I know you're not deaf, Oni-kun." She said with a huff. "You're usually better about bringing me yummy things!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?"

The tiny girl tilted her head. "You should know, you gave me my name."

I looked at the spider tank. Lid was open, Mira was gone.

"...Oh you have got to be kidding me."

"You're really not that observant, are you, Oni-kun?"

I just started rubbing my forehead. "Give me like five minutes, it's too goddamn early in the day for plot twists in the story of my life..."

"Okay~!"

* * *

><p>"I was wondering how long it'd take you to figure out you've got a tsuchigumo living in your room."<p>

I sighed. "Man, what next? Our toaster is possessed or something?"

"Nah, no tsukumogami in the dorm. I've checked a few times."

"Yay..." I said sarcastically as we passed the front gate of Gekkoukan. "Seriously, is it too much to ask for the supernatural things to just say 'yo what's up' before they integrate themselves into my life as something not supernatural for a long stretch of time?"

Shinji just chuckled while Hamuko and Aigis patted me on my shoulders.

"There there, Roy. At least you'll always have a little friend to talk to!"

"I still wanna know how there's a tsuchigumo that looks like a MEXICAN spider. And don't try to say 'they came from Mexico', she gave me a weird look when I asked her if she knew Spanish."

Aigis tapped her chin in thought. "As far as I am aware, red knee tarantulas have been bred in captivity successfully for some time, thus it would not be out of the ordinary for a youkai to resemble one."

"...Did you look that up one day or do you just know that off-hand?"

"I searched for information on the species shortly after you returned to the dorm with Mira initially. I felt it would be prudent to know the proper way to interact with that particular kind of arachnid."

"I'm still amazed you can attract so many abnormal things, Roy." commented Shinji. "Think it's some hidden trait of your power you didn't know about before now?"

I sighed. "If it is, I blame Anansi for it. He IS a trickster, after all and I swear to god if I hear him chuckling I'm gonna see if I can fight a deity RIGHT NOW."

"Spoil sport."

"LEAVE."

* * *

><p>"Aw man, now I owe Ken a Featherman Figure..."<p>

"Ryoji, I hate you so much right now."

"I love you too, buddy."

* * *

><p>Despite it all, though, not everything was just poking fun at my terribly inconsistent attention span today. Got a hell of a lot more serious as most of us were walking back together after school.<p>

"Up until today, I thought our school would be safe from that cult..." Yukari sighed. "But most of the class was talking about the end of the world today. They have no idea what's really going on..."

"Who does besides people with ties to our dorm, though?" asked Ryoji. "It's not like we can really tell people about it."

I ran a hand through my hair before putting my hat back on. "Yeah... and playing the waiting game on this is the hard part. All we've got to kick around are theories and guesses till the end of the month."

"I'm still surprised it became so popular so quickly." said Aigis. "I thought more people would oppose it, but it's drawing new followers in like moths to a flame, and it felt like there was a depressing atmosphere in class..."

"I'm with Ai-chan, it's crazy how many people are buying into that cult." Junpei added. "Kenji was complaining about getting spam e-mails from a few people he knows who got into it!"

Yukari let out a low whistle. "KENJI knows people who bought into that? Jeez, what exactly are they preaching that'd get the guys he hangs around with to go for it?"

"It's always surprising what people will choose to believe in." Fuuka said. "Though in some cases it makes sense if you think about it, others... it's just confusing."

Chidori nodded. "And given how likely it is Takaya is at the helm of all this, people flocking to his every word en mass becomes more disturbing."

"Because he's probably forcing a good chunk of them them to follow him?"

She looked at Hamuko and nodded. "Exactly."

"Tch. Part of the problem is the bastard doesn't know when to give up." Shinjiro growled. "Another part is that we can't find his twiggy ass and see how well he can interpret a sack of doorknobs."

"That sounds like something I'd expect Roy-san to say..."

Shinjiro just shrugged. "I hate that guy on so many levels it's a wonder I didn't try to break him in half when I had the chance."

"I see... but speaking of the cult, were your teachers talking about it today?" Ken asked. "My teacher was, but she doesn't like it very much; said it was most likely some jerk trying to scam a lot of people out of money to make himself rich. A few of my classmates said that the high school teachers were trying to get people to join, though..."

Several of us exchanged looks.

"Not any of the ones that passed through 2-F." replied Hamuko

"Or 2-E."

"None turned up in my class either. Can't speak for Aki and Mitsuru's, though."

Junpei let out a heavy sigh. "Man, this is one of those times I wish days wouldn't drag on so much. Just get Nyx or whatever down here so we can kick its ass and get on with our lives..."

"Speaking of Dark Hour stuff, um, what exactly killed that Shadow last night?" I asked. "Because having nine Personas active at once did NOT do anything good for my ability to coherently understand what was happening."

"Shinjiro-san." Ryoji replied. "Well, everyone else threw something at it, but his was the most noticeable."

Ken looked up at Shinji. "What was that, anyways? I didn't know your Persona had a skill like that."

"Had it for a while, never felt I had a reason to use it till then." he said. "It was the technique Vaisravana apparently got when that link thing Roy has with me hit the 'end' or whatever."

"...Dare I ask what it's called?"

"Purging Vajra."

"Certainly lived up to the name." commented Junpei. "Big time."

Yukari looked at me. "Hey, Roy, think we should stop by the mall so you can ask what that thing you did was?"

I hummed. "If you guys don't mind a detour... I'd really like to know myself so I can make a point of not doing it again."

"Why go to the mall?"

"There's a door to the Velvet Room there." I answered. "Plus we could see about stocking up before we go back to Tartarus in a day or two..."

"You wanna check out the giant ass door in the lobby, don't you?"

"Well, we got as far UP as we can go, may as well see where it goes since we've got literally THE WHOLE MONTH to check it out."

Shinji shrugged. "Fair enough, I guess."

* * *

><p>"Hello Master Roy."<p>

I casually waved at Elizabeth as I sat down opposite Igor... noting the décor of the Velvet Room had changed a little. Still an elevator, but now the table, chairs, and carpet looked like they belonged in a Las Vegas casino. A more upper crust one than even the Lucky 38 – one of those casinos I got kicked out of a few years back – and with a blue color scheme, but a casino none the less.

"Greetings, my young friend." said Igor. "How might I assist you today?"

"Answering a simple question; What the fuck did I do last night?"

Igor tapped his hands together a couple times before answering. "You unleashed the full, double-edged sword that lies within all Wild Cards – the ability to unleash several Personas at the same time."

"...I'm going to regret asking this, but dare I ask how it's a double-edged sword beyond the massive headache?"

"To put it bluntly... you could have perished from the strain."

I stared at him. "...And you never thought to mention this sooner?"

"I would have if I could."

"...IF you could?" I asked. "The hell does that mean?"

"Just as you are under contract, as am I." he stated. "My master has made a point of not informing a Wild Card of every ability they can wield at once."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Because doing so has gotten several of the more... over confident ones killed. My master wishes to avoid such fates at all costs... one of the many reasons he has taken to a more passive role in watching Humanity."

"...Okay, fair enough. But now I've got a different question – where the hell do those damn voices who yammer at me about how good my friendships are come from?"

"My Master. He prefers to mask his voice, but it is him none the less."

I hummed. "Never let me meet the guy."

"You wish to punch him, yes?"

"Is that a common thing?"

"It's happened more times than I can count, even if I cared to do so."

-Pfft, wow.- "Alright, that solves that little mystery... just be careful not to drop nine Personae at once again and my head won't rupture."

"Indeed... and I am pleased to see you have found resolution."

"...Oh yeah, Anansi changed as well, huh? Not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting that."

Elizabeth chuckled. "I had been awaiting such a thing to happen, Master Roy. Now that it has, I have two final requests for you."

"M'kay, what are they?"

"They involve the doorway that appeared in the lobby of Tartarus." she replied. "The first is to reach the end of what lies beyond the door AND defeat the Reaper."

"Okay, sounds simple enough. The second one?"

She smiled knowingly. "It is to simply defeat the Ultimate Opponent in single combat. They will be awaiting you in at the end of what lies behind the door once you have completed the first of these requests."

"...I'll accept the second one but only if I can speak with this 'Ultimate Opponent' and set the conditions for the fight."

Elizabeth seemed a little caught off guard, but nodded a moment later. "Very well. I will see to it that you shall be able to discuss the terms when you go to face them."

"Nice. Now, let's see about something else..."

* * *

><p>I took care of some Persona fusing and recording and all that blah blah boring crap before I headed out of the Velvet Room, grabbed some stuff from Kurosawa, then started back to the dorm with everyone. Aigis promptly whacked me upside the head when I mentioned the nine persona thing was a potential fatal thing, though... still kinda hurts. I can't really hold it against her, I mean if I found out something like that about something she could do, I'd be griping at her for not being more careful myself. Speaking of Aigis, she'd apparently gotten some ideas from Hamuko about stuff, so the next couple of days were... kinda interesting to say the least. The eleventh especially...<p>

* * *

><p>"Roy, I have a question."<p>

"Does it have something to do with how you're owning me at Mario Kart right now?" I asked as her character rammed mine while having a star going. "Because if it does, I don't even know."

She giggled, -God it sounds so cute-, and shook her head. "Not that. I was just... merely wondering, well... it's not awkward giving me a hug, is it...?"

"Of course not." I replied instantly. "Why would it be?"

"...I would think the why would be obvious." she commented, tapping her arm. The metallic noise gave away what she was getting at.

"Still not awkward."

"...Really?"

I nodded, steering myself around a green shell one of the AI players launched. "Really. Or do I honestly have to restate things I've said about you?"

"No, you don't..." she said, fidgeting slightly in place. "...I suppose I'm just being self-conscious."

"Why?"

"...Hamuko-san asked me something."

-Oh dear god...- "What was it?"

"Nothing bad!" Aigis replied quickly, like she'd expected me to get upset. "Just... well, how the bed didn't break on the nights I slip into your room and we fall asleep together.." Another small giggle escaped her. "She was concerned they barely seemed able to handle someone of your size."

"I actually got a good view of the underside of the one in my room one time when I was digging out something from under it." I said. "The wood frame is like molded paneling around the actual metal that's holding it up. Way more sturdy than it looks."

She made a contented hum in response. "I see. That's good..." She bobbed her head back and forth. "...Although one of Junpei-san's ideas sounds quite appealing."

"What idea?"

"I overheard him suggesting to Chidori-san that they make a blanket fort in one of their rooms."

"...That sounds amazing."

I swear I could HEAR Aigis' eyes lighting up as we finished the race. "So then you wouldn't mind?"

"Aigis, it would be you and me snuggled up in a giant mass of blankets and pillows in the middle of my room. The only way it could be better is if we could take over the dorm lounge or command room instead of just my room... although we'd probably have to share it in either of those cases..."

"I don't think the others would mind."

"Yeah, but then it can't just be us getting cozy comfy in the middle of it by ourselves..."

"...True." She agreed. "But it would still be enjoyable to spend time with everyone else..."

"...Private fort first, then we can make Fort SEES if we can get Mitsuru to go along with it. We can even tape a 'No Shadows allowed' sign to it."

"Wouldn't that exclude Ryoji-san?"

"He's a demi-god, so no. He'd have to be completely a Shadow for that to apply."

Aigis giggled. "I see. But perhaps that is how we should spend the last week of this month... just enjoying the company of our friends."

"...So we make a blanket fort in the dorm and just leave it up for an entire week."

"Yes."

"That is the best idea I've heard all year."

"...But the year just-"

"School year, Aigis."

"Ah."

"Yeah, gets confusing sometimes. Admittedly it's kinda weirder back in the US." I laughed. "School starts in the early Fall and ends in the following June."

She looked at me with moderate confusion. "...What?"

"Yeah, I've wondered the same thing myself."

"So then you were attending school up until you moved to Iwatodai in April?"

"Actually, no! My time in the American School System ended after seventh grade. I got home schooled with Japanese stuff up until I actually came over here."

"Were you causing too much trouble?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I just mentioned wondering what going to school in Japan would be like to Uncle Shane a few days after school ended. I'll admit, I'm surprised he was cool with sending me here by myself."

"...Do you ever regret that decision?"

I hummed as I scooted up a little closer to Aigis. "Hrm... Eh, not really."

"Even with everything that's happened?" she asked. "And where things are now?"

I slipped an arm around her waist. "Eh... still no."

"...Roy."

"Yes?"

"Do you... ever wonder what would have happened if you never came back?"

"...Truth be told, no. Mainly because I can't even imagine what it would've been like... well, apart from finding out 'oh by the way you're an Oni' likely once I turned eighteen." I turned to look her right in the eye. "That, and I wouldn't trade any of this for anything. Been a hell of an adventure already... even if I'm half paranoid about how it's going to end."

"Are you scared?"

I kissed her lightly. "With you and everyone else with me? Not even a little."

Aigis rolled her eyes and kissed me back. "You're an odd one, Roy."

"You love me anyway."

"Of course I do..." Her expression fell. "But... why does that make me feel sad as much as it makes me happy...?"

"I dunno... you okay? Nothing on the fritz?"

She nodded. "It is not a malfunction... just a strange feeling."

"You sure?"

"Quite. You don't need to worry about it, Roy."

"I'm gonna worry anyways, you know."

"Then I'll just have to distract you so you won't."

I arched an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to do that?"

"How about another race?" She asked, waving her controller back and forth. "And I'll pick the track this time."

"...I accept your challenge on the condition we make the blanket fort when we're done."

"Deal."

* * *

><p>...But well, part of it is my own business. The other part... that's something I wanna have written down. So I can really be sure it happened, y'know? At this point, I won't be surprised if SEES takes turns reading this thing once it's done anyways. It's a weird kind of insight into my head. Anyways, it was a few hours after Aigis schooled the hell out of me at Mario Kart – in a related story, she's insanely good at Rainbow Road – that I remembered what day it was. I'd only paid attention to the 'we don't haven't school' part of it when I'd gotten up that morning, but when Shinjiro was talking about it with Ken around the time we had dinner, I got to thinking. Mom and Dad have been stuck here for years... I wondered if they saw me on the bridge in November and December. Today is Coming of Age day. Plus... well, I'm sure they'd want to meet my girlfriend. So... Aigis and I went out for a walk around eleven. It was a slow one... took us almost an hour to the Moonlight Bridge, and then we were taking out time crossing it, hand in hand the whole way.<p>

"...Are you nervous?"

"A little... and don't you have sensors to detect that sort of thing?"

"I prefer not to use them as often... but I did get an alert that your heart rate was elevated."

"Heh, figured..." I chuckled weakly. "...I guess this is how Ken felt when we were waiting for the Dark Hour the other night."

"Did the specter of his mother appear?"

"Yeah. Hit me with a book, too."

"...Why?"

I sighed. "She could tell I was an Oni, so y'know. Bit of a misunderstanding."

"That's seemed to happened with you quite often." Aigis commented. "At least there aren't a great deal of youkai in Iwatodai."

"Inaba's probably a different matter, but that'll only be a thing when I visit Uncle Kihei."

She switched from just holding my hand to wrapping her arm around mine. "You'll have to take me to meet him one of those times."

"Well obviously."

Aigis giggled a little, before silence fell between us for a few moments.

"...Did you know what you were going to say to them?"

"Hi mom and hi dad for starters."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, but... that's all that's coming to mind that I can keep track of for more than a split second."

I felt her grip on my arm tighten a little. "...I see."

"How much longer till midnight?"

"Two minutes."

"...You nervous?"

"...Somewhat. I suppose I'm just feeling anxiety. I never thought I'd be meeting your mother and father..." she laughed a little. "...Or that I would fret about such a thing happening..."

"You'll be fine, Aigis." I said with a chuckle. "Mom won't bite or anything."

**DOOM**

My thoughts strayed for a few seconds as the Dark Hour settled over the area. Mainly because I started wondering why the hell I can even hear that 'doom' sound whenever this crap starts or why it even sounds like it should be described as 'doom'. Of course, those thoughts got brushed aside once I started hearing voices talking some ways ahead of us. They were indistinct at first, but became clearer as Aigis and I approached.

_(...sure he's here?)_

_(Of course I'm sure!)_

_(You've said that for... I think two days now? I still don't get this creepy coffin paradox.)_

_(You honestly don't think I'd know our son is near?)_

I hesitated for a half step. Don't think Aigis noticed.

_(I'm not saying that! I'm just saying we might have missed him or something...)_

The sources of the voices became more easily noticed at that point. A man and a woman.

_(Daniel, I swear to Bishamonten that he'll...)_ said the woman, turning her head slightly towards me and Aigis. _(...be... here...)_

_(Akane?)_

_(...Daniel, isn't that the kind of hat your father likes?)_

The man turned his head towards us. _(...Yeah... but, check out his hair... you think...?)_

I smiled nervously and waved with my free hand. The silence was almost palpable for the next few moments. Mom looked like she was shaking, brushing some of her hair out of her face before her eyes lit up like floodlights.

_(...Roy...?)_ she asked, almost like she couldn't believe who she was seeing as Aigis and I kept walking closer. _(...Is that...?)_

"Hi mom." I said. "Hey dad."

There was another stretch of silence before a high-pitched shriek of joy split the air and I found myself getting my ribs crushed by the ghost of my mom... and she barely came up past my chin. I subconsciously started channeling healing abilities so it wouldn't hurt so much as my dad bounded over to us.

_(...Jesus, you got big...)_ he commented as mom was still clinging to me and I think sobbing into my vest. _(...But why are you wearing that hat?)_

"I spent too much time with Grandpa Rowen between the ages of eight and twelve."

_(You say that like spending time with family is something there actually can be too much of.)_ Dad commented with a chuckle, then he turned towards Aigis. _(...Who's this?)_

"I'm Aigis." She replied with a smile. "I'm your son's girlfriend."

Mom stopped crying nigh instantly and whipped her head towards Aigis. _(I'm gonna be a grandmother?)_

I was legitimately physically incapable of expressing anything beyond confused half grunts for the next five seconds while Aigis was clearly almost as flustered as me. Dad was trying his best not to laugh, but a few giggles still slipped out.

_(Take it easy, darling.)_ he chuckled. _(I don't think they've planned that far ahead...)_

_(She's tamed an oni, they're making me grand kids even if I have to haunt them.)_

"MOM"

Aigis shifted in place, but she was still gripping my arm. "...That would require some drastic changes."

_(Oh... so you're one of those girls who have-)_

_(Honey.)_ Dad said sharply to cut off mom's train of thought. _(Look at her hands and ears.)_

_(...Prosthetic stuff?)_

"...I'm a gynoid." stated Aigis, shrinking a little into her scarf. "My body is metal."

Mom seemed to stare, then she looked up at me.

_(Please tell me you didn't mail order her.)_

"NO!" I almost shrieked. "Good god mom, what the fuck?"

_(Akane, at this rate you're going to traumatize your son after he hasn't seen you in...)_ Dad looked at me again. _(...How long has it been since the accident?)_

"Ten years."

He let out a low whistle. _(Goddamn... it doesn't seem like that long.)_

"Time's on a weird scale in this." I gestured to the area around us. "It only hits at midnight, and if you can't perceive it, you don't notice the extra hour to the day."

_(Fucking time paradoxes.)_

I laughed. "I know, right?"

_(Certainly explains how things have changed so quickly as far as we've been able to tell...)_ commented Mom. _(But robots? Does that mean there's jet packs now?)_

"Nope... and Aigis is one of a kind." I said. "The last of her kind, even. You ever seen monsters loose in here?"

Dad nodded. _(A few times... weird black things with masks. You know about them?)_

"I've been fighting them for about ten months at this point. Aigis is from a line of 'bots built specifically to fight them."

Mom finally let go of me and took a couple steps back, exchanging a look with Dad.

_(So is that what Kirijo wanted to show you that night?)_ she asked. _(Because that'd make SOME kinda sense-)_

"Wait, WHAT?"

Mom looked back at me. _(It was why we were driving home from Port Island that night. Your father was trying to establish a business partnership with the Kirijo Group.)_

"...Well it took ten years longer than you'd have probably liked, but that happened like three days ago..."

_(How do you know?)_

"One of my roommates at the dorm I'm staying at while I attend Gekkoukan is Mitsuru Kirijo."

I swear to god, hearing my mom squeal is a very strange thing. _(Aww, little Mitsu-chan? She was a cutie~!)_

_(Akane...)_

_(Well she was! What's she like now?)_

"Student Council president, expert with a rapier, dating a boxing half youkai, and an absolute stunner appearance wise. Not that she was my type even before she hooked up with Akihiko..." I replied. "Speaking of youkai, I only found out about your side of the family last month, mom!"

Her jaw dropped. _(Are you kidding me? Poppa never shut up about his heritage! It's not every generation that someone with two kinds of Oni blood in their veins shows up...)_

"...Kihei said Masaru is only half oni!"

_(Half LOWLAND Oni.)_ mom corrected. _(Y'know, the red ones?)_

"Then what's the other half of him?"

_(Mountain Oni!)_ She replied cheerfully. _(You'd know them better as the calmer, blue Oni... not that he really shows it.)_

I just stared at my mom. "...So then why did Kihei say he was only half?"

_(Your grandfather being 'half' Oni was a joke he made while courting your grandmother. He never stopped making it, so... it stuck.)_

Dad and I facepalmed in unison while Aigis giggled.

"And here I'd been saying I was half Oni only because it rolls off the tongue better than 'two-fifths Oni'..." I sighed.

_(Oh, hush. It's not all bad, you know!)_

"Yeah, up until the guy with a shrine keeper for a grandmother whacks you in the face with a broom inscribed with sutras."

_(Oh so you met Daichi's grandson after all?)_ Dad asked. _(If... well, if the crash hadn't happened, your mother and I were going to take you out to Inaba to visit.)_

"Shinji's the one who told me I was an Oni in the first place!"

Mom tapped her chin. _(...So then was the half youkai you were talking about Akihiko?)_

"I swear to god the web of friends I've made just gets more and more convoluted by the second as I find out more about my own family tree that nobody ever bothered to bring up because apparently explaining things is just too foreign of a concept?"

_(I'm positive that the only one from my family who knows more about Akane than the fact she's Japanese is Rowen. And you know how Shane is...)_

"Yeah, I lived with him for ten years. Speaking of, you'd have been proud of me on my fourteenth birthday."

Mom and Dad exchanged a glance, then gave me a wary look.

_(...Why?)_

"I got banned from three casinos in Vegas cuz Uncle Shane got me a fake ID."

Dad mimed wiping away a single tear. _(That's my boy.)_

Mom just smacked him upside the back of the head.

_(What, I can't be proud my son did something I never got to do?) _he griped, rubbing where she'd hit him.

_(No, but you don't have to play up the dramatics... how much did you win anyways?)_

"Shit... I can't even remember. Half of it went into that trust fund Dad set up and the rest was used for random stuff around Shane's place or me just buying things that seemed neat, but it was a lot."

Dad started chuckling again, only to get another knot on the back of his skull. _(OW! C'mon Akane, you're gonna leave a bruise!)_

_(You're a ghost, there's nothing TO bruise!)_

"I'm surprised you're both taking your situation so well..." Aigis commented. "...Though I suppose it does help explain why Roy can do the same a lot of the time."

_(It was kinda freaky at first...)_ admitted Mom. _(Plus... well, I was scared. I didn't know what'd happened to Roy... he was just left alone on that bridge in the middle of the night for who knows how long!)_

"...Not long, as I found out well after the fact."

Mom's gaze immediately locked on me. _(What happened?)_

I looked at Aigis. "...You mind helping me tell the story?"

"We'd have to explain eventually regardless..."

* * *

><p><em>(...Shit Roy, you weren't kidding when you said you were in deep.)<em> Dad said a little while later once Aigis and I finished explaining everything in a hyper abridged sort of way. _(And all this is going to end one way or another at the end of the month?)_

I nodded. "Yeah. Though I'm kinda curious... did you guys see me either time I was on the bridge before?"

_(Yes, running TOWARDS the sound of violent screaming and explosions sounds like an absolutely BRILLIANT idea, even as a ghost!)_

Cue Mom giving Dad another lump on his ghost head.

_(OW!)_

_(The only thing we saw was the golden dragon since it was hard to miss that thing wrapping around the bridge.)_ Mom stated. _(And since we still knew next to nothing about this place... well, your father wanted to be cautious.)_

"Can't say I blame you... plus, well, Yukari would've started screaming. She... doesn't take well to ghosts or spooky stories."

Dad shrugged. _(Kinda wish I'd known about that Ikutsuki guy sooner. I'd have stalked his ass all the way to that tower and decked him square in the jaw that night.)_

_(If there was anything left of him after I got through with him.)_ Mom huffed. _(Rat bastard putting my son in danger...)_ She shivered angrily. _(Rrrgh! Just thinking about it makes me mad!)_

"Well if it helps, a shrine keeper made sure even his spirit is dead so unless there's ghosts of ghosts, he's gone for good."

_(Give that man a raise!)_ Mom exclaimed.

"His ghost like fused to the soul of his dog almost a week ago."

_(Give the pooch a steak then!)_

I laughed. "Can do."

"Shinjiro-san does that anyways, Roy"

"Still counts."

I got surprised though when Mom suddenly hugged me again.

"Whoa, what? Mom?"

(I can't believe how much you've grown...) she said, half muffled by my shirt. _(...You were so small the last time I saw you...)_

I hugged her back. "...Yeah. I know."

_(...It's good to see you're doing okay, Roy.)_ said Dad, walking over and putting an arm around my shoulder. _(And out to save the world? Heh, I knew you'd do something great with your life, but this is a bit bigger than I was expecting.)_

"Well I've still gotta work on that..." I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "Here's hoping me and my friends all make it out the other side."

_(I know you will.)_ Mom stated, not a hint of doubt in her voice. _(And... and I want you to promise me something.)_

I looked down at mom. "What?"

_(...Okay, two things. First...)_ she reached up and pulled my hat off. _(Don't wear that thing so much. And second... you better marry Aigis, you hear me?)_

"GOD DAMN IT MOM"

_(Think that'll be legal by the time he's out of high school?)_

"DAD YOU ARE NOT HELPING"

He just grinned. _(We're your parents. Of course we're going to embarrass the hell out of you in front of your girlfriend.)_

"Mom, can-"

_(He's right, you know.)_

"DAMN IT"

Dad chuckled, but his expression fell a moment later. _(...Seriously though, Roy... we're glad you're okay.)_

_(...It's just... hard seeing you like this.)_ Mom said somberly. _(All grown up... planning to fight a goddess... it's a far cry from the energetic little boy I remember you as.)_

"...Yeah. A lot can happen in ten years." I said. "A hell of a lot, as I've discovered."

Mom started hugging me again. _(...It hurts knowing I couldn't be there to take care of you... to watch you grow up.)_ A sad laugh escaped her. _(At least you turned out handsome like your father...)_

"Yes, the resemblance is almost uncanny."

"Aigis..."

"Well it is."

_(...It's just hard for this all to sink in, y'know?)_ asked Dad. _(It's been longer for you than it has for us.)_

I nodded. "Yeah... I know. But sometimes even time doesn't fix everything..." I sighed. "...I thought I'd gotten over losing you guys a long time ago. Now I'm not so sure..."

I felt a hand on my head, and looking up revealed it was Dad's.

_(Just means you're like anyone else.)_ he said with a small grin. _(Human, youkai, anywhere in between, everybody's got things that will always stick with them no matter how much time has passed.)_

"...Is their a youkai I don't know about in your family, Dad?"

_(Nope. That's all from your mother. Dragons, though...)_

"WHAT"

He laughed. _(I'm kidding! I just don't want you heading home with a sad look on your face. Never suited you back then, and still doesn't now.)_

"...Thanks dad."

He join mom in hugging me. _(Just come out of this alive, alright?)_

"I will make he will." stated Aigis firmly. "It... it was my first promise to him."

_(Aigis, sweetie... come here.)_

She gave my mom a look, but took a step closer and got pulled into the Fortune Family group hug.

"...I was not aware I was a confection."

_(It's a term of endearment, Aigis.)_ said mom with a small laugh. _(I'm sure Roy's used plenty.)_

"Mom..."

"...He once called me his angel."

"AIGIS"

Dad laughed as the group hug finally broke up. _(Laying on the charm pretty thick there, son.)_

I just grumbled in response.

_(Oh, hush you.) _Mom said, nudging me with her elbow. _(But you should probably go home and get to bed. Can't save the world if you're tired all the time, you know.)_

"It would help if the monster-filled time paradox didn't hit at midnight."

_(True... but it's not gonna be around once you deal with that goddess, right?) _she asked. _(So go kick her where the sun don't shine if you have to!)_

_(I'm pretty sure that's already his plan, Akane.)_

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll get this shit sorted out one way or another." I said. "So... just try to hang in there a little longer. You... you won't be stuck in this place forever."

_(We know, Roy.)_ Dad replied. _(And we're proud of you.)_

"...Even with all the stupid shit I did?"

_(Even with all the stupid shit.)_ he stated. _(Because you're still our son in the end.)_

_(And we love you, Roy.)_ added Mom. _(Not go home and get to bed, young man!)_

"Alright, alright... G'night mom. Night dad."

"It was nice meeting you." said Aigis, bowing slightly.

_(It was nice meeting you too, Aigis.) _replied Dad, matching her bow.

_(I still want grandkids! Even if you have to build them!)_

Aigis and I just smiled and waved, walking away with dark blushes on our faces.

* * *

><p>"Your mother still had your hat, you know."<p>

"And?"

"Don't you want it back?"

"She said I shouldn't wear it so much. Hate to disappoint her, y'know? Plus... well, it's something of mine she can hopefully keep hold of."

* * *

><p>Aigis and I went straight to bed once we actually got back to the dorm, and school managed to maintain at least some semblance of normality... despite more buzz about the Nyx cult now being doomsday predictors. Of course, even with that, Junpei managed to pull an almost perfect distraction after school.<p>

"Yo, Roy."

I looked up at him from my PSP, seeing Yukari, Akihiko, Aigis, and Chidori milling around behind him. "What's up?"

"We're all heading to Hagakure. Wanna come with?"

Eyebrow. "...You do realize there's no way I'm not going to answer 'yes' to that, right?"

He laughed. "Hey, never hurts to check. Might've been one of the rare times you weren't hungry!"

"Fair enough." I admitted, shutting the console off and getting up off the sofa. "So who's buying? You?"

Junpei laughed. "Nah, Akihiko-san is."

"Why?"

"Well, we made a bet back at Yakushima!" he reported. "You missed out cuz you wandered off... and yet still technically managed to win anyways."

I blinked. "...What?"

"It was part of Operation Babe Hunt but whatever! Akihiko-san still lost, and it took six months for me to get him to admit it."

"Technically you lost as well."

"Yeah, but I said I'd pay for a couple stops at the Beef Bowl shop for him if he got us Hagakure tonight..." he said. "So y'know, karmatic balance and all that."

"Cool, let's roll then."

* * *

><p>"Is the special okay for everyone?" Yukari asked us all once we sat down at Hagakure.<p>

"Hell yeah." "Sure." "Fine with me." "You know it!" "I'd like to try it, yes."

"Okay." She turned towards the cook. "Six specials, please!"

Akihiko shifted in his seat to get a better look at Junpei. "You SURE it counts if Roy wasn't in on the bet?"

"It's one of those 'exact words' kinda things, senpai." replied Junpei. "I said 'one of us guys', and that would kinda include Roy, so..."

"I'm amazed you remembered it after all this time." I commented, noticing Aigis picking up a magazine out of the corner of my eye. "Did you write it down?"

"I never forget a bet."

"Explains why you've never made one with Roy..."

"...This article looks quite disturbing."

I turned towards Aigis. "Why?"

"The title is 'Emergence of a Messiah: The Speaker of the Charismatic One answers all'..." she said. "It appears to be about the cult."

"Oh goody, sounds like Takaya's got a publicist among his brainwashed flunkies..." Junpei groaned as Aigis turned the page.

"...Was this image stuck in Photoshop?" Akihiko asked out loud. "Who is that?"

I looked at the picture provided. "...No idea, but I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting someone who looks like they should be a fashion model."

"Her name appears to be Nagi Ogura." Aigis reported. "It seems she acts as the 'face' of the cult, as the leader prefers to remain anonymous beyond his title of 'Charismatic One'."

"Well considering if he showed his face he'd be thrown in jail, I can't QUITE say I'm surprised." I said. "What's the actual article say?"

"It does not go into detail about the cult itself, but it does mention a quote that Ogura-san claimed was said to her by their leader. 'Mankind is currently imprisoned by the sins of hate and anger. But soon, a savior will descend upon this world to break the chains that bind us, and lift us to new heights. This great being is Nyx. I have beheld her glory, and she has blessed me with power beyond belief. In Nyx there is no pain... no suffering.'..."

"He's saying that Nyx will save the world? That's..." Yukari paused. "...Is that wrong?"

Akihiko shrugged. "Don't know. I doubt he really means what he's saying anyways... it's gotta be a game to him."

"It is." I heard Chidori growl. "Bastard..."

"There's more... 'But, there are those who do nut understand this truth, even though they have also been blessed by her. They have acquired the same power as I; Yet they abuse it, using it for their own personal gain. These miscreants are the ones to blame for the recent tragedies that have been plaguing our streets'."

Junpei shifted in his seat and started talking more quietly. "So now he's pegging us for what he's done? Just when I thought he couldn't get any lower..."

"Is there anymore to that quote?"

"Yes. 'Brothers and sisters, I shall go forth to make preparations for Nyx's arrival, but do not fear those evildoers who desecrate their gifts. Nyx shall right their wrongs. May your hearts be filled with peace as you await your salvation. Blessed are those who take joy in the coming of Nyx. The revolution is here!'... the article ends with speculation on the part of the writer."

"...'Revolution'?" parroted Junpei. "How the hell are people buying into this cliché crap?"

Aigis flipped the magazine closed. "Throughout history, those who have changed the future have often been charismatic to some extent... though no doubt Takaya's ability to manipulate minds is the root of his sudden rise to fame."

"There's also paranoia and fear working in his favor." I added. "The amount of Lost around aren't doing any favors for people's nerves, either."

"But Takaya is likely nothing if not predicable." Chidori stated. "If he means to stop us, he might try to trick the cultists into attacking us. He'd certainly have the manpower to do it..."

"And I doubt we won't see him in Tartarus on the thirty-first..." noted Akihiko. "We'll have to be on our guard."

I sighed. "I really hope he doesn't do that... I'd prefer if he stayed stupid and didn't actual listen to me calling him out on being outnumbered way back when."

"Jeez, can you believe this trite?"

I looked over my shoulder and, to my surprise, the blind girl and her redheaded friend Akihiko and I met back at the mall were eating at one of the tables.

"The hell kind of bull does this 'Charismatic' moron think he's spouting?" griped the redhead, holding a copy of the magazine Aigis was looking at in one hand. "I swear, I ever find that guy, I'm gonna punch him in the throat."

The blind girl giggled. "I'll have to try harder at tracking then, won't I, Firebrand?"

"Just don't strain yourself, okay? Shit's already out of whack as it is..."

I couldn't stop myself from saying something. "Well considering there's a megalomaniac at the helm of a cult, I'd say that sums things up nicely."

"You should've shoved him in a hurt locker when you had the chance, Spiderman." commented 'Firebrand' before she ate another bite of her ramen. "Might've saved a lot of trouble."

Junpei looked over at the two girls. "...Those the two you mentioned meeting at the mall?"

"Yeah."

"I thought I smelled something familiar..." said the blind girl. "Well, besides the ramen anyways."

"Shame we can't really stick around." sighed Firebrand. "Shit to do, cultists to thwart..."

Yukari shifted nervously. "...You probably shouldn't be saying stuff like that so casually..."

The redhead grinned. "Didn't you notice we're the only people here besides the cook? He's cool anyways; in on most of the stuff. Like you guys skulking around in the dark..."

I turned back towards the kitchen and the chef just flashed a knowing smirk as he set a bowl down on the counter in front of me.

"...Is there like some kind of supernatural underbelly to Iwatodai we don't know about?"

The blind girl chuckled as she and her friend stood up. "You'd be surprised, but that's not the sort of thing you guys deal with, is it? You just tackle the Tower."

"How long you been watching us?"

"Ever since Star here noticed Big Red had popped up in town." replied the red head. "But you didn't start nothing and you've been helping Kirijo, so... no need to do much. You lot just focus on whatever the hell you're doin'; If the cult asshole does try to step up, well..." she smiled. "You've got friends in dark places."

"Do we at least get names to go with faces?" inquired Chidori.

"Hmm... nah." she replied, shaking her head. "Best to keep things anonymous. Have fun storming the castle~!"

'Star' simply waved while she and the redhead walked out of Hagakure.

I turned back towards the chef. "You've got strange customers, dude."

He laughed. "I have stranger friends."

"I'll take your word for it..." said Junpei. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm starvin'!"

* * *

><p>Since it'd been a few days since the whole thing with that Hydra Shadow, I rounded up everyone to hit Tartarus that night to check out the crazy door that popped up in the lobby.<p>

**'Oh good, you're back. Feeling better?'**

"...Have you been waiting this entire time?" I asked aloud, since the Reaper was going his disembodied voice thing.

**'For the most part.'** He replied. **'I'll admit, though; I am grateful you unlocked the doors to the Monad Depths. It has been... most helpful to my efforts.'**

"...What."

**'You will have to find me to get the answer to that question, Fool. I await at the bottom of Monad... just don't take forever this time.'**

I exchanged looks with the others. "...So in climbing the tower, we played right into the hand of the Reaper's plans?"

"So it would seem at a glance..." Mitsuru sighed. "And here I'd hoped things would start to become less complicated."

"Well, we were gonna go down there anyways..." commented Junpei as he and Shinjiro approached the doors. "So let's see what it's all about. Not like there's much else to do in this place..."

"Aside from trying to blow it up, anyways." Ryoji chuckled.

"...The Shadows..."

I turned towards Fuuka.

"...The Shadows on the other side of that door... they're so powerful..." she stammered. "I can only faintly sense the Reaper at the bottom..."

"What, did we find the Bonus Dungeon or something?" asked Hamuko.

"...That's about the closest description to what I'm sensing in there, yes."

I cracked my knuckles. "Well, let's give it a whirl. If things get to hairy, we bail. Simple enough, right?"

* * *

><p>Approximately five minutes later, though...<p>

"SIMPLE ENOUGH I SAID." I shouted, ducking under a giant blast of ice. "IT'LL BE FUN I SAID."

Koromaru howled, two of the Shadows attacking us getting consumed in darkness while another was obliterated by a lightning bolt from Caesar.

"These Shadows are unreal..." he said. "This is only the first floor of this place!"

"You're telling me..." griped Junpei, cautiously peering around a corner. "Okay, good news and bad news! Good news; I can see what looks like a staircase room down this hall!"

Yukari sighed. "And the bad news is there's more Shadows between us and the stairs?"

"Eyup."

"Fantastic..." I sighed, checking the Personae I had on-hand. "...Okay, that's new, but it does give me an idea..."

"What sort of idea?"

I stepped towards the corner Junpei was standing by. "One that should at least get us down ONE floor of this crazy death-trap... Fuuka, those Shadows up ahead weak to anything?"

_{One moment... they're vulnerable to Darkness-based skills!}_

"Nifty. Let's see how well this thing works then..."

I held my hand out slightly and an odd, sickly green mist started leaking out from the edges of my gauntlets and drift down the hallway.

"What're you doing?"

"Setting up." I replied. "Gonna try out that new ability Kwaku Anansi picked up... this is actually a different one he got."

"...You have a built in fog machine?"

I shrugged. "Something like that. Provided I'm not being lied to, it should make this next thing I do work better and probably clear this hallway out for a minute. Once I drop it, we bolt for the stairs, okay?"

A jumble of replies came my way as I stepped back from the hall, which now had a pretty heavy layer of that green mist along the ground and floating down it. Kwaku Anansi's card floated above my palm for a moment, and a phrase involuntarily found its way out of my mouth.

"Trap card? More like trap spider!"

The card shattered and I finally got a good look at my new Persona. Bigger than me, as is kind of the norm for 'true' Personas, and wearing a sleeveless, rusty-orange colored jacket with gold hem and black spiderweb patterns on it. Under that seemed to be a maroon vest and white shirt combo like what you'd expect from a stereotypical poker dealer. Had four arms, the top right of which had a spider symbol identical to the tattoo on my right arm on the sleeve. Spider head themed fingerless gloves were on its hands, and it had a head of silvery white hair to contrast the glowing, pale orange eyes and dark gray skin. Brown pants covered its legs, while what looked like tan colored shoes were on its feet. 'Oddly humanoid thing' seems to be a recurring theme of my 'True' Personas, I've noticed.

It shifted its weight before throwing out its upper right arm and snapping its fingers. The hallway full of green mist then, for lack of a better description, exploded with fire like you lit a match in a room full of propane gas. A rush of smoke billowed back towards us, but thankfully Yukari and Ryoji were quick to get rid of it with the wind skills their Personas had.

"Good grief, Roy!" Hamuko shouted. "Warn us more before you do that!"

"Hey, I didn't know that shit was flammable!" I countered, still coughing up some of the smoke. "The skill I used is supposed to just burn things with an off-hand chance of consuming them with darkness, not blow up entire hallways!"

"Let's argue about it on another floor!" exclaimed Chidori. "We've got a lot of company coming!"

"Then quit talking and start moving!" Shinjiro yelled before he rushed past me, half dragging Hamuko with him before the rest of us followed.

* * *

><p>We staggered out of Tartarus barely before the Dark Hour ended, all of us worn out as hell because even if we only got five floors down on Monad, it was an absolutely brutal slog.<p>

"I don't like that place..." Hamuko whined as she leaned on Shinjiro. "My everything hurts..."

"I've lost half the feeling in my face because of that one ice blast I got hit with." griped Junpei.

Koromaru let out a whimper in unison with a groan from Yukari.

"Roy-san, can we take tomorrow off from the tower?" asked Ken. "I'm not sure I'll be able to feel my legs in the morning..."

"I like that plan. It's a good plan." I replied. "All in favor?"

"AYE."

* * *

><p>We headed back to the dorm in varying states of disgruntlement, though once we woke up the next morning... well, to say we were surprised would be an understatement. It'd been almost impossible to tell before we went to bed because of just how tired we all were, Fuuka included, but once we had some rest, we discovered that getting as far as we did into the Monad Depths was a very... empowering experience. Like, the attributes our Personas had ramped up to pretty insane degrees. Mitsuru said it was a reaction to how powerful the Shadows were, but honestly I'm more concerned about not accidentally breaking stuff. We sorta awkwardly fumbled through the day because even if we did get a hell of a lot stronger, our bodies certainly didn't feel like they did. Felt great the day after that, though, so we headed back to Tartarus that night.<p>

**'Back to try again?'** asked the Reaper as we entered the lobby.

"Oh shut up."

**'It's an honest question, you know.'**

"And I gave an honest lack of an answer." I stated. "So deal with it."

**'...I swear, I'm going to throttle him.'**

"Throttle who?"

**'...Nevermind. Not important. Just don't keep me waiting.'**

"...Is it just me, or does it seem like he's really trying to get us to notice there's more he's not telling us?" asked Junpei. "Because that's what I'm getting at this point."

Akihiko shook his head. "No, it's not just you. But what could that Shadow want us to find out?"

"Don't know, but I'd wager we'll find out once we get to the bottom of Monad." Ryoji replied. "Speaking of which, shall we get to that?"

"Yes, let's." I said. "I wanna get this shit over with already."

* * *

><p>I'll admit, I expected it to still be hard to get through Monad once we went back in. To the pleasant surprise of me and everyone else, though, it got VASTLY easier. It wasn't quite smooth sailing, but now we were closer to equal footing to the Shadows... until around floor eight. Then it started turning into a slaughter. The staggering amount of force we were able to unleash from our Personas was... well, scary to say the least. Suffice to say, we got to the bottom of Monad. A hovering platform in the center of a massive chamber, the walls made of orange clockwork contraptions. A glance over the edge revealed the bottom of the chamber was too far down to be seen.<p>

"...Damn, this is trippy..." commented Junpei, stepping back from the edge. "And this is the BOTTOM of Tartarus?"

"Or as close to it as we can reach, anyways." said Shinji. "Not sure I wanna try going any further down..."

**'A wise decision.'**

All eyes turned to the far side of the platform, where the Reaper hovered in a manner to suggest he was seated in an invisible chair, his head leaning on his left hand while a single revolver lazily dangled in his right.

**'I'll admit, I hadn't expected you to get here quite so soon.' **he said. **'But, well... between the wolf, the brute, and the Fool, it honestly shouldn't have been so surprising...'**

Mitsuru took a half-step forward. "What exactly were those 'efforts' you spoke of?"

The Reaper rolled his head around once, then made an absent sweeping motion with his right hand. **'Restoration.'**

"...Of WHAT?" I asked. "The tower?"

**'No.'** he responded. **'Of myself.'**

"Yourself? I dunno, you look pretty 'complete' to me..."

**'It is an illusion, nothing more.' **stated the Reaper. **'The truth of the matter is far stranger.'**

I heard a few of the others shifting around behind me.

"...How much stranger?" Yukari asked as the Reaper hovered into something akin to a 'standing' position.

**'A great deal!' **he answered. **'But at least, my body is whole again. Say what you will of the Shadows, fragments of the human psyche that they are, but they are quite useful for one such as myself to tend their wounds.'**

"Okay, I'm lost." said Junpei. "Aren't YOU a Shadow?"

The Reaper laughed. **'Hardly! I am no mere 'Shadow'. I am something far more... ancient.'**

"...How ancient we talking?"

**'I have known many names the world over.'** he replied. **'Though not all were my own. The Celts named me Ankou. In Pola****nd, I was ****Śmierć. ****Those of Lithuania knew me as ****Giltinė**** .'** He grasped at the shoulder of his coat with his left hand as the ring of chains encircling him began to break and fall to the ground. **'But many whisper of my most famous title...'**

The chains exploded into nothingness as the Reaper yanked on his coat, tearing it off and revealing something else standing in his place. Easily the size of a Persona, what I was staring at resembled what would happen if you took the Thanatos Persona that Ryoji had and replaced the coffin cape it had with a black, hooded mantle, flattened the pointed white mask into a form closer to the front of a human skull, replaced its sword with a Scythe, and gave it actual feet.

**'The Grim Reaper!' **he bellowed, an ominous wind blowing across the entire room and causing his cape to flare dramatically. **'So to answer your question, Fool, I am exceedingly ancient.'**

"...What is the GRIM REAPER doing stuck in a tower in a time paradox?" Hamuko asked, sounding absolutely bewildered. "Don't you have important stuff to be doing?"

**'I am not the only psychopomp in existence, you know.' **he stated. **'Just one of the most famous.'**

"That still doesn't answer the other part of her question." noted Shinjiro. "Or are you just not gonna tell us that part?"

**'Oh no, I will... on one condition.'**

-I think I know where this is going.- "Don't tell me, we have to beat you first?"

Glowing blue eyes appeared in the sockets of the skull mask and focused on me. **'Actually, I was going to have you explain why you claimed Nyx was approaching, but I like that idea better!'**

"GOD DAMN IT ROY"

"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW, RYOJI?!"

**'Blame your patron, Fool.' **said the Reaper, shifting his stance. **'Luck is a fickle thing when HE is involved.'**

-I am going to throttle that goddamn spider the next time I see him.- I griped mentally.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Shinji asked. "Grim Reaper or not, you're still pretty heavily outnumbered."

The Reaper laughed. **'It matters not to me! I relish the challenge, in fact... though I suppose my confinement to this blasted tower has not garnered any favors for my mental stability.'**

"Oh good, so you're deadly AND crazy." Chidori sighed. "What a winning combination..."

A bellowing laugh came from the Reaper at that.** 'Oh ho, **_**you**_** I like.'**

Cue Kwaku Anansi appearing and punching him in the face. "And what did you fail to learn from the last time we had a brawl?"

**'The fight hasn't even bloody started!' **he retorted angrily.

"Well how am I supposed to know that? I can't read minds!"

He growled in annoyance, hefting his scythe. **'Fine then.'** In a split second, he'd closed almost half the distance between us and him.** 'LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!'**

"Way to antagonize him before we have to fight him, Roy!" I heard someone, I think Yukari, shout as we scattered, the Reaper's scythe smashing into the center of where our group had been standing.

"WELL I'M GONNA DO IT ANYWAYS, SO WHY WAIT?" I asked, a card spinning in my palm. "OSIRIS!"

The broken god emerged from azure flame, body held together with wrappings and sharp pegs, and lashed out with the curved blade in his hand. The attack actually surprised the Reaper, cutting across his left arm, but he retaliated with a blast of ice that sent Osiris flying back as pain shot through my chest. Shouting rang out around me, and when I looked up, Osiris was gone, but now the Reaper's scythe was locked against Vaisravana's lance and Trismegistus' foot. He shoved them back, only to be met with a savage roar as Cerberus slammed into him, cloaked in fire. They crashed into the ground, the hellbeast vanishing a split second before a gleaming lance of light and bolt of lightning struck at the Reaper, the former missing its mark while the latter struck his leg. He rose with a flourish and burst of wind, staggering some of us even as Yukari started pelting him with arrows.

**'Ha, good!' **laughed the Reaper, now parrying Yukari's shots with his scythe.** 'SHOW NO MERCY!'**

"Hades! Persephone!"

It might've been crazy of me to summon two Personae at once, but I just needed to get one attack off from them both. A massive door appeared below the Reaper's feet, opening inward as a cascade of specters surged out from within. It caught him off guard despite the clearly minimal amount of harm it was causing, which was good because it meant the storm of Ice, Lightning, and Wind from Hamuko, Akihiko, and Yukari would actually do some damage... and if that failed, well...

"Clear a path, Everyone!"

The gem thing hanging from the back of Vaisravana's spear glowed with the image of a vajra for a moment, then suffice to say big fuck off lasers happened and if THAT didn't leave a mark, I don't know what would.

**'WHAT DO YOU FEED HIM?'**

-Yep, left a mark.- "He's the chef."

**'...That would explain it then-'**

"PENDRAGON!"

The gold and silver dragon exploded into existence with a mighty roar, a blast of searing flames erupting from its maw as an inferno of Hestia's creation and another lance from Themis likewise surged towards the Reaper. An angry yelp of surprise was his reply before he was engulfed in fire, if only for a few moments. He shot straight into the air, yanking the spear out of his right shoulder.

**'BEHOLD THE FACE OF DEATH!' **he bellowed, and with a wave of his hand a barrage of black energy bolts ripped across the battlefield. I didn't see who got hit and who didn't, mainly because several hit me and they hurt like HELL.

"But ask not for whom the bell tolls!" I heard Ryoji shout, looking up in time to see several orange explosions near the Reaper sending him back down towards the platform. And I'm not gonna lie, the next thing I did was honestly something I'd been looking forward to since I found out I could do it.

"RELEASE!" A card span in the palm of my hand. "THE KRAKEN!"

The Reaper managed to catch himself, but he couldn't move from where he was standing on account of Mitsuru's quick reflexes freezing his feet to the platform as the Kraken emerged from BELOW the platform. I've summoned big Personas before, but Kraken currently takes the goddamn cake and eats the boat it came on, too! It made the most bizarre, shrieking roar before slamming its giant tentacles down on the Reaper several times. On what would've been about the eighth or so hit, the Reaper lashed out and damn near hacked one of the tentacles off, sending the Kraken retreating back into my psyche with a pained shriek and a MASSIVE jolt of pain through my arm.

**'Ha, creative!'** the Reaper cackled. **'BUT TRY HARDER NEXT TIME!'**

Another barrage of black energy tore across the platform, but like that one instant against the Hydra, the sigil from Juno's bubble appeared infront of me and blocked the attack. Fuuka was clearly still on top of her game despite all the chaos in the fight.

**'What in the-'**

His confusion was interrupted by what I can only describe as a wave of pure carnage hitting him like bus hits a store mannequin. Pretty safe to say at least half of SEES attacked at the same time, because once the blast subsided, the Reaper looked pretty worse for wear. With a shout of rage, he span towards the others and rushed at them... or at least, he made it look like he did. He swerved at the last second and sped straight towards Ryoji, nearly taking his head off with that scythe.

"WHOA! What's your problem with ME all of a sudden?!" Ryoji sputtered, doing his best to keep the blunt part of his sword locked with the Reaper's scythe.

**'You'll find out.'** he replied ominously. **'I would first witness your-'**

A savage bark cut the air as Akihiko, doing his wolf thing again, tackled the Reaper and started gnawing on his arm. I'm not even remotely sure that is a good idea, because who knows what any sort of vital fluids from that guy will do to someone if you get any in your mouth.

**'Get off me, wolf!' **he snapped, punching Akihiko in the side of the head repeatedly. All it seemed to do was make Akihiko bite down harder. **'Get off this instant!'**

Akihiko just growled, but his ears twitched a moment later and he did let go... just in time for Trismegistus to dive bomb the Reaper and make something akin to a crater in the platform. The red Persona was thrown back almost immediately after, ol' Reaps didn't get the chance to get out before a pair of giant, gold fists smashed him back into the hole. Following on the heels of THAT was a lot of fire, ice, lightning bolts, and another giant spear. Of course even that wasn't enough to stop the Reaper, who burst out of the crater and rushed the nearest people he could see – Chidori and Shinjiro. Shinji wasn't having any of it, leading to Vaisravana once more clashing with the Reaper.

**'Rrrgh... blasted war god.'** he snarled. **'STAND ASIDE!'**

This time, though, I was the next one to start shit. "Kwaku Anansi!"

The spidery persona sprinted at the Reaper, body checking him away from Vaisravana before rebounding off him and squaring off with the manifestation of Death.

**'...Nostalgia is a hell of a thing.'**

-Okay seriously, there is something up with you and I'm gonna find out what.- I thought before Anansi swung at the Reaper, his fist being blocked by the scythe. He swung over and over, the two beings caught in a bizarre display of blows where neither really seemed to be getting hurt.

**'Are you even trying, Fool?' **the Reaper asked as Anansi caught the blade of his scythe. **'Or are you scheming-'**

An elbow right to his face answered that question, as did the small cloud of green mist that was left behind, causing him to start coughing. It was at that point the Reaper finally noticed something; the area he and my Persona had been fighting in was now full of that green mist – all of it having steadily been left there as he 'blocked' Anansi's blows.

**'What-' **he coughed. **'-is this?! Why does the air taste...?'**

I grinned. "Stagnant?"

"_**PERSONA"**_

Cerberus, Trismegistus, and Hestia arose beside Anansi, the four of them looking on at the cloud the Reaper was staggering around in.

"_**HELLFIRE"**_

As the Guardian of the Underworld howled, the other three gods snapped their fingers and the Reaper was consumed in flames. It was almost a solid seven seconds before the fire died down, the ground scorched black from the heat.

"...Is he dead?" asked Hamuko. "Or at least unconscious?"

A disgruntled groan was her reply, the Reaper pushing himself to his feet from the middle of the blackened mark on the floor.

**'I yield...' **he moaned, bracing himself with the shaft of his scythe so he could actually stand up.** 'Gods, you lot do NOT mess around when it's all of you against one opponent...'**

"I would ask how you're not ash, but I feel like the answer would just confuse me." I commented.

**'I doubt it.' **he retorted. **'One does not simply kill the God of Death, you dunce.'**

"God of... wait a moment, are you Thanatos?"

The Grim Reaper chuckled. **'Oh good, you live up to Athena's title after all... Yes, I am Thanatos.'**

"Oh well, good news for ya buddy." I said, half staggering over to Ryoji and throwing an arm around him. "You've got more family!"

He gave me a look.** '...You say that like I didn't already know.'**

"Hold on, you're not only Thanatos, but the Grim Reaper?" asked Ryoji, his eyes suddenly getting very bright. "So then does that make me Death the Kid?"

"Dude, you wanna get your pants sued off?"

"It's a legitimate question!"

**'...I suppose? I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about...'**

"You wouldn't be the only one." said Shinjiro. "But if you're Thanatos, then how and why are you in Tartarus?"

**'You can thank the idiots who thought I was a Shadow and thus ripping off a sizable portion of my lower torso was a good idea.'** he replied. **'I had to quickly compress my form into something else to avoid a rather... violent destabilization.'**

Mitsuru shifted uneasily. "...How violent?"

**'I'd rather not say, but having Death effectively explode wouldn't have been a good thing.'**

"Yeah, I'd think as much..." commented Yukari. "But why are you here?"

**'Since an amplified portion of my power created this distortion, and by extension this mockery of my former home, I am unfortunately bound to it.'** stated Thanatos. **'I suspect if I had not been sneaking about near the explosion that caused all this when it happened, I would have been able to come and go from this tower as I pleased.'**

"Trying to get your stolen piece back?"

**'Precisely, though as I eventually discovered, the unstable nature of Shadows can make for a suitable means of mending my wound. The Shadows of Monad expedited the process a great deal.'**

"So that's what you were talking about before?" asked Akihiko.

Thanatos nodded. **'Yes. But I have a much more pressing concern...' **He straightened his posture and glared at us.** 'What have you idiots done to anger my mother?!'**

"We didn't do shit to your mom!" Junpei shouted. "It was all Ikutsuki!"

**'...Ikutsuki?'**

"The idiot you might have seen get choked to death by my Shadow about two months ago."

**'You mean a few days ago.'**

I blinked. "...No, it's been a little over two months at this point."

Thanatos stared at me. **'...What.'**

"Um, yeah... short version is, the explosion that trapped you hear? That was ten years ago."

**'WHAT?! It's barely been a year since that day!'**

"For you, yes." said Mitsuru. "But for us, ten years have passed. Time was distorted, and so long as we aren't standing in Tartarus, we would only perceive its existence for an hour a day."

Thanatos looked at Mitsuru, then reached up and put a hand on the forehead of his mask.

**'...So then, none of the other gods know I'm here?'**

"Nope. They've been worried about you."

**'...But even that shouldn't have summoned my mother...'**

"That... was my fault." Ryoji said apologetically. "The people who attacked you used what they stole to create me in a bid to bring about The Fall."

**'...That's bloody stupid! Mother is quite fond of humanity and would never kill them.' **He exclaimed. **'...On the other hand, though...'**

"What?"

**'...Erebus.'** Thanatos spat. **'He never took mother leaving him well, and if she comes back... the result would be catastrophic.'**

Hamuko shivered. "Like, the Fall level of catastrophic?"

**'If not moreso. You without a doubt saw what his mere influence did to the Jotun of Grief you fought near the top of the tower.'**

"Wait, what? You mean EREBUS did that?"

**'If my mother is indeed on her way, then he is most likely aware and waiting for her.' **he said. **'It's even possible he does not event notice nor care that his intent is corrupting the Shadows within this tower... he only wants to get his hands on Nyx.'**

Junpei took a step forward. "So what, just that guy being around is gonna make more Shadows go crazy mutant dragon on us?!"

**'Maybe not in the exact same way, but potentially.'**

I heard Chidori sigh. "Great... more problems for the pile."

"Still comes down to stopping whatever the hell is gonna happen on the thirty-first no matter what we find out." noted Shinjiro. "Just gotta be prepared is all."

**'...How long from now would that be?'**

"Uh, fifteen hours for you, fifteen days for us... I think." I looked at Aigis. "Is that right?"

After a moment she nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

**'I see. Then perhaps these may assist you...'**

Thanatos opened his cloak and several objects clattered to the ground.

"...The hell are these?" asked Junpei, walking over to inspect them. "And why is there a cane here?"

**'Well, for most, Hephaestus was rather bored one day, Thor stopped by for a visit, then they got drunk and had a smithing contest...'** he admitted. **'I only got them because they didn't know what else to do with them once they were sober. The rest I won in games and off bets with some old friends.'**

"...You had a replica of this?" Ryoji asked, picking up a sword identical to the one his Persona had.

**'Of course. It hasn't seen use in ages, though.'**

Hamuko picked up one of the other presumed weapons and gave it a curious look. "...This is a silver pole."

**'Oh, hit the little button near your thumb.'**

In doing so, I kid you not, orange energy blades appeared on either end of the pole. Hamuko was dead silent for a moment before she made a squeal of glee.

"...What."

**'As I said, Thor and Hephaestus were smithing things while drunk...'**

A sparking noise drew my attention, revealing that Mitsuru appeared to have found a rapier with a similar feature, except it was just the edges of the blade that were made of energy.

"Fascinating..." she said, inspecting the blade with great curiosity.

"What was a Greek god doing carrying around boxing gear?" Akihiko asked aloud, holding up a pair of gloves.

**'I won a bet with Polydeuces.'** replied Thanatos a moment before he saw what Yukari had gotten her hands on. **'You like that bow?'**

"I've never seen one like this before..." She said, clearly testing it in ways only she fully understood. "Is it a hunting bow?"

**'Yes. Artemis once organized a hunting contest in the Underworld and gave those to competitors. I did fairly well, all things considered.'**

"Where'd this come from?"

Thanatos turned to look at Ken. **'Oh, that was another one from the drunken smithing contest. I believe Thor made it... he'd taken up a bit of a flare for the exotic after visiting Japan for the first time.'**

"Cool..." Ken said, giving the spear a few practice swings... only to discover it can segment itself and accidentally trip Shinjiro with it. "Oops... sorry."

"It's fine..." griped Shinjiro as he got back up. "...Tch. Never got a hammer or axe?"

**'Well, I had something SIMILAR to one...'** replied Thanatos, pulling the most bizarre looking axe I've ever seen out of the pile of items. **'According to the youkai I won it from, it's changed hands quite often since a follower of Bishamonten crafted it.'**

"...What idiot makes a vajra into an axe?"

**'Someone who apparently didn't live long. It's yours if you want it.'**

Shinjiro inspected the axe, then shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Okay now I've gotta know what the deal is with this." I said, picking up the cane. "And how exactly did you get it?"

Upon looking at me, Thanatos started laughing.** 'Interested in that one? I think you'll find out where it came from very quickly. It's a story that's... well, far more amusing to hear from someone else.'**

"...Okay, but what the hell does it DO? I mean, you wouldn't just give a random ass cane as an option for free goodies for no reason... right?"

**'It's... well, adaptable. Think of a different object and touch the gem.'**

I arched an eyebrow, doing what what he said... and promptly found myself carrying a shovel instead of a cane. "What the fuck? It CHANGES?"

**'That it does! Fitting for someone such as yourself, I'd say.'**

I tapped the relocated gem on the hammer and it turned back into a cane. Black with a red, golf ball sized gem on it, red spiderweb patterns around the rest, and a spider symbol carved inside the gemstone. "...That it is. Dibs."

"Uh, guys, we might wanna get out of here..." Yukari said. "The Dark Hour's almost over."

"Shit. Um, grab whatever looks cool and let's bolt!" I said. "Sorry Reaps, but we gotta bail. See ya around?"

**'As if I have a choice but to wait in here.'** he deadpanned. **'I'll be expecting a more detailed explanation the next time you lot stop by.'**

"That... might be like two days away but whatever! For now, BYE!"

* * *

><p>The Dark Hour ended a few moments after we stepped out of Tartarus, but waiting for us at the gate of Gekkoukan High was a face I'd honestly like to have never seen again.<p>

"Oh no, what do you want this time?" I griped, staring at that same goddamn idiot from June. "Just go leave me alone, man!"

He was staring at me, a wild look in his eyes. Looked like hell, too. Like he hadn't slept in days or even eaten all that much. Just kept staring before he finally spoke up.

"You... you're the ones..." he began. "The ones our great leader was talking about..."

I blinked. "...What?"

"Fortune, what is he talking about?"

"The evil ones... the ones who use Mother Nyx's gifts for evil..." he continued, an insane chuckle escaping him as he spoke. "Haha... and I found you...! Found you while you're tired... WEAK!"

"Roy, I'm not certain this person is... sane."

"Neither am I, Aigis..."

The guy just kept laughing. "It doesn't matter what you think...! YOU WON'T SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN!"

"Wh-what the...?! He's-!"

His laughter grew louder as red mist suddenly encircled his feet. "I HAVE RECIEVED THE BLESSING OF MOTHER NYX, AND I AM GOING TO KILL YOU WITH IT!" He clutched his head with both hands. "YMIR!"

An explosion of red mist preceded the appearance of something... big. A giant made of ice, carrying a massive club in one hand, that loomed over the man who summoned it. Gleaming yellow eyes glared down at us with ill intent... not that I really cared. I just started walking towards the guy.

"So... you wish to be the first to PERISH, gaijin?" he asked. "GOOD, then LET ME-"

I bitchslapped him so hard his Persona disappeared before he hit the ground.

"...Not gonna lie, that felt good." I commented as I turned around. "Also, Takaya's got some seriously crazed up fruit loops in his midst."

Mitsuru was rubbing her temple in frustration. "I just want to get some sleep now."

"Sorry senpai."

* * *

><p>Mitsuru made a call to someone to deal with the unconscious guy. I dunno how it ended up for him, nor do I care to find out. I did find out something I DID give a damn about after school the next day, though.<p>

"Wait wait wait, today's your birthday and you didn't tell ANY of us?"

"I told Chidori." Junpei replied simply, sitting across from me in the lounge. "I didn't really feel like makin' a big deal out of it, y'know? Keep things kinda chill."

"Dude, my birthday is five days from now."

He stared at me. "...No way."

"Way."

"...Okay, I take it back. We need a party."

Hamuko giggled from over by the counter infront of the kitchen. "We'll need a couple days to set things up, you two."

"Yeah, but-"

The door to the dorm was suddenly thrown open as my ears were assaulted by what I can only describe as furious African ranting. Turning around in my seat revealed that Anansi was walking right up to me, yammering away in a language I absolutely did not understand, making exaggerated hand gestures and facial expressions.

"Hello Anansi." I heard the others deadpan in almost perfect unison.

He only stopped his rant long enough to say 'Hello all' back before he just kept going, now standing with his face about a foot away from mine. When he started sounding out of breath, Ken offered him a glass of water and, to my surprise, he accepted it.

"...Okay, what the fuck did I even do?" I asked as he emptied the glass.

"It's not you I'm mad at!" He said, almost slamming the glass down on the table. "I'm angry at that god damn Grim Reaper!"

I blinked. "What about him?"

Anansi jabbed me in the chest with his finger. "You should damn well know what, Mister Cardsharp Oni! You got my damn cane from him!"

"...What."

He reached into my pocket, pulled out the card I'd stashed the cane in, then materialized the cane. "THIS! WAS MINE! I never got the chance to win it back from him before he disappeared! Now tell me where he is so I can beat him with a water buffalo!"

"...Isn't that cruelty to animals?"

"I never said it would be a live one!"

"And why a water buffalo?" Inquired Hamuko.

"WHY NOT A WATER BUFFALO?"

"What the hell is even going on with this conversation?" asked Junpei. "Because so far it's just making my head hurt..."

Anansi just shoved the cane back into my hands and glared at me. "It doesn't matter, I just want to know where that lazy sad sack of a death god has been hiding for ten years!"

"Um, he's been trapped?" I said. "In the crazy time paradox doom tower I run around in?"

He blinked. "...He's been what now?"

"Stuck. In Tartarus."

"Then I'll just go with you next time and bludgeon him then!"

"WE HAVE LIKE TWO WEEKS BEFORE HIS MOM SHOWS UP DO YOU WANT TO MAKE HER GET HERE FASTER?"

Anansi started to make a counter argument, but paused for a moment before sighing. "Damn it, you've got a point there..."

"You're awfully violent for a trickster god." commented Shinjiro. "Or is that just a thing with gods in general?"

"No, I'm just bitter because it wasn't a goddamn fair bet that lost me that cane in the first place!" he retorted, glaring at Shinji. "And now I can't even get it back!"

Eyebrow. "You could just ask me..."

"No, I can't! I already went out of my way to get a replacement cane so it's completely pointless!"

"You mean you don't just carry a stash of the damn things on hand?"

"Why would I?" He asked. "I'm not a dragon! Or you for that matter!"

I tapped the side of my head. "You're still technically in here."

"That's just semantics!"

"Were you gonna stay for dinner or should I not set out another plate?"

"No no, I'm going somewhere with a friend out north from here." replied Anansi. "Thank you though."

I turned in my seat a little more so I wasn't straining my neck. "So you came here JUST to complain about Thanatos?"

"...Yeah, pretty much." he said, tipping his wide brimmed had and waving his hand. "Toodles!"

And just like that he was gone.

"Gods are weird." I heard Chidori comment.

"Yeah..." I sighed. "Yeah they are."

* * *

><p>I spent basically half of the rest of that evening getting heckled about stuff I'd like as a gift, the other half trying to come up with a cunning plan to get something for my best friend without him knowing. Kinda short notice since the plan was to have the Double Birthday Bash after school on the eighteenth, but I doubt anyone minds. Always nice to spend time with the people closest to you, after all. Having said that, there were more than a few confused faces on the seventeenth when I said we were going back to Tartarus that night.<p>

"Isn't the kinda no point until the end of the month?" asked Junpei. "I mean, Fuuka kept saying it seemed impossible for us to get more powerful..."

"Yeah, but I got one last thing to deal with in the tower before the final showdown happens." I replied. "A final request from Elizabeth, actually."

Aigis and Mitsuru both looked up from the books they were reading. "Request?"

"Mmhm. I've got to meet and beat some 'Ultimate Opponent' at the bottom of Monad in a one on one fight."

"...And you agreed to it?" asked Akihiko.

I shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's literally the last request Elizabeth has for me and I have no idea if I'll still be able to get into the Velvet Room once this is all over."

"So you're gonna go fight somebody you don't know a thing about."

"Pretty much."

Shinjiro sighed. "Do you go out of your way to make no sense or does it just come naturally?"

"Eh, it's a little of column A and a little of column B with me."

Aigis was double checking and fussing over all of my gear the entire way to Tartarus, even all the way up to me actually stepping into the Velvet Room.

"Hey Liz." I said, tapping the cane I got from the Reaper against the ground a couple times. "Did the first of those requests you had for me."

"I see... and you have reaped a reward for your struggle." She said whimsically. "And I have another to bestow upon you."

Pulling it out of thin air, Elizabeth handed me a simple looking blue bookmark. Aside from having a pattern on it that matched her dress and a symbol I assume is supposed to be for the Velvet Room, there hardly seemed anything remarkable about it.

"...A bookmark?" I asked.

Liz simply smiled in response. "It is hardly much on its own, but it is quite useful if paired with the reward from your final task. The Ultimate Opponent awaits you in the depths of Monad."

"...Fair enough then." I said, slipping it into the pocket on my vest. "Be back when I'm done with that whole mess!"

"Good luck, my young friend." said Igor as I stepped out of the Velvet Room... and found someone I didn't recognize talking to my friends.

"Well, I have to avoid drawing attention in my line of work, so..." the stranger trailed off, turning towards me. He looked a hell of a lot like you aged up Ryoji about twenty years and wearing a black trench coat. "Oh good, you're done."

I blinked. "...The fuck are you?"

"Thanatos."

"...Y'know what I'm not even going to question this." I said. "You're a god. It will just make my brain hurt."

He laughed. "Possibly. But I understand you have an appointment at the bottom of Monad?"

"Yeah, why?"

He snapped his fingers and the door to Monad glowed for a second. "There's a shortcut. It'll take you to the stairs to the bottom floor."

"...And why not straight to the bottom floor?"

Thanatos grinned. "It would ruin the surprise waiting for you."

I stared at him for a second. "...Is being infuriating like a common thing with you and Anansi?"

He seemed to ponder his reply before nodding. "Yeah, pretty much. We go way back."

"Great." I sighed, walking towards the door. "Also, expect to get smacked with a cow once you're out of here. Anansi's pissed."

"I'll bet."

* * *

><p>True to his word, walking through the door to Monad did deposit me right infront of the stairs that headed down to the bottom floor. A short trek down those left me in the giant orange clockwork room. I didn't even have to guess what Elizabeth was doing standing on the opposite side of the platform.<p>

"...So." I began. "You're this 'Ultimate Opponent', then?"

She smiled and nodded. "That is correct, Master Roy."

"Erright. So how's this going to work?"

"Well, I must admit I am at a loss." Liz replied. "I hadn't expected you to request to set rules for the battle."

I shrugged. "Call me paranoid. I've had a hell of a lot of fine print about my life slip past up till now."

"I see... perhaps we'd best keep this exchange simple?"

"...So what, I use one Persona while fighting you? How WOULD you even fight, anyways?"

"I am as capable of wielding an aspect of the Wild Card as you are, Master Roy." stated Elizabeth. "Though it is not the only means I have."

-Hrm.- "...Alright, then a one on one battle. One Persona each, no switching." I said, keeping my focus on Kwaku Anansi. "And keep it fair, so no tryin' to cheap shot things with stuff like those instant knockout skills."

"That would hinder you a great deal depending on the Persona you select." she noted. "Though I suppose abilities that can swiftly incapacitate foes as a secondary effect rather than as a direct intent would be admissible."

"Works for me."

"I would also recommend refraining from selecting something capable of rendering all attacks from the opponent impotent." Liz continued. "Otherwise... well, drastic measures will be taken."

I hummed. "Well, I already know who I pick." A flurry of blue fire and a shattering card later, and Kwaku Anansi stood behind me. "As long as you don't try dropping fireballs you'll do fine."

Elizabeth chuckled. "I should have expected such a choice. As for my own..." She drew a card from the heavy tome she carried, spinning it in the air once before it shattered. A large, and I mean about half Elizabeth's height, version of Pixie appeared hovering beside her. "...I will utilize this Persona. Its elemental affinity should not cause any issue."

"Fair enough. You ready?"

"Indeed I am. Are you?"

I looked at the cane in my hand, resting against the ground. I tapped on the gem once, morphing it into a pair of metal gauntlets. "Naturally."

"Then let us begin!"

I barely had a split second before a gigantic lightning bolt hit the ground where I'd been standing, kicking up a small cloud of dust and pretty blatantly giving away that I absolutely did NOT want to stand still. More electricity arced around the Pixie as it dropped a few more lightning bolts. A couple actually hit me, but I powered through it to try and get in swinging distance of Elizabeth. To my unfortunate surprise, her book doubled as a weapon and I had to do my best to dodge her own swings as I tried to get in a few hits of my own. I think I had an easier time of it though, because Kwaku Anansi seemed to be mimicking my movements, meaning when she dodged a punch from me, Elizabeth would get clobbered by my Persona. It sorta went both ways, though; Being that close made it hard to dodge a lightning-empowered shoulder tackle from her Pixie.

"How exhilarating!" Liz exclaimed as I got back to my feet. "I daresay this is more exciting than what my original plans would have led to!"

Anansi unleashed a wave of fire at Elizabeth, catching her off guard before I rushed in again. "And talking is not a smart thing to do in a fight!"

"I have learned as much from your previous encounters with the Reaper." She replied, exchanging blows or blocking my punches casually. "But a lack of conversation makes things... boring."

"Yeah, well, that's the price ya pay sometimes." I said, kicking her in the chest only to get electrified for my trouble. "Other times it's getting hit with lightning bolts..."

"It is quite fortunate possessing a Persona makes dealing with such forms of pain much more manageable."

Anansi hurled a few elementized cards at her, the Pixie zapping a few out of the air but at least three still hit her.

"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." I commented, slamming my hand into the platform. "Same could be said for a LOT of things!"

Having decided to put some of that oni strength of mine to use, I tore out a piece of the platform and hurled it at Elizabeth. She smashed it effortlessly with her tome, only to be met with Anansi tackling her and biting down on her arm, leading me to remember that the 'Life Drain' skill he has still involves biting and or eating things, usually Shadows, to work. She got him to let go after a few heavy whacks upside the head with her book, having Pixie zap him for good measure. Despite the pain shooting through my body as my Persona got hit, it gave me a good chance to get close again and do what I do best in a fight; punch and kick something really goddamn hard. Of course that doesn't help too much when your opponent has what amounts to fucking Thor in the form of a fairy electrocuting you in what honestly seem like increasingly cartoonish ways. I mean it, I swear I saw my own skeleton for a second one time. Either that or however many volts were in those shocks wasn't doing my brain any favors.

"Oh my... such ferocity..." commented Elizabeth a moment after she blasted me halfway across the platform with a point blank electric explosion. "I may have to resort to more drastic measures..."

"Drastic how?" I asked as I got up.

The answer to my question turned out to be Megidolaon lasers and that made me sad... and in pain, but mostly sad. Even after the fact, I'm pretty sure that wasn't a good sign about how well I was doing. It did give me incentive to try a different tactic the next time I was close enough to hit Liz myself and not just rely on the 'pick and choose' multi element skill Anansi had to attack from range with. I never did find out if she figured out what I was up to before it was too late.

"Are you feeling well, Master Roy?" asked Elizabeth as she blocked a kick aimed at her stomach. "Your actions are... erratic."

"No idea." I replied, honestly not sure how my body was actually handling all the lightning hitting it. "Thinking I might wanna try hurrying things up before I break something important."

Liz exchanged several more blows before catching a backhanded swing I threw. "That seems most wise..." she glanced at my hand, having finally noticed the trail of green mist coming off of it. "Wait a moment, that's-"

"Eyup!" I said with a grin, snapping with my right hand before the two of us were caught in a pretty damn large explosion of fire. Upside was since I caused it, it didn't hurt me at all. Downside was I made a hole in the platform and fell right through it. "AW SHIT MISTAKES WERE MADE"

Kwaku Anansi appeared on the bottom of the platform and caught me, letting me find out that apparently doing spider stuff was just a thing he could do because he was STANDING on the underside of it. I used that to my advantage, getting my Persona to carry me around and toss me up over the side, giving me a good chance to surprise Elizabeth while she checked out the hole.

"KNOCK KNOCK!" I called out as I fell, causing Liz to turn around just in time for me to punch her in the face and launch her over the hole and into the ground on the far side.

Elizabeth quickly recovered and gave me a concerned and confused look. "Master Roy, you are most... unusual."

I shrugged. "I get that a lot, but I'm really starting to think the two hundred or so volts I've been hit with this entire fight haven't been helping."

"Then perhaps I shall refrain from using it further..." She said, Pixie appearing and summoning up more lasers.

"I FAIL TO SEE HOW THAT WILL HELP" I shouted as I did my best to dodge them.

"It is a fight to determine the victor, not a bout against a training dummy, Master Roy."

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN I WANT THIRD DEGREE LASER BURNS"

"Then work on dodging them."

I slid to a stop, then darted back towards Elizabeth. I got close quick enough that she didn't get more than two or three more Megidolaon lasers off and swung at her stomach. It missed, but my momentum carried the punch into the ground just like I wanted it to. Cue a giant cloud of green mist exploding out of the impact point.

"And now it's SHOWTIME!" I shouted, Kwaku Anansi appearing behind me in the heart of the cloud. With a snap of his fingers, the whole thing went up in an explosive torrent of fire. It took a few moments for the flames to die down, but once they did, I found Elizabeth laid out on the ground. Despite the scorch marks, she looked completely fine and hardly at all bothered I exploded her with fire TWICE in about five minutes.

"Well done, Master Roy." she said, standing up and brushing herself off. "I admit defeat..." A heavy sigh escaped her. "...Though it would seem my question remains unanswered..."

I did my best to wave away some of the remaining smoke. "What do you mean?"

"I have long sought an understanding of who I am, just as you and my master have done." stated Elizabeth. "Those who set foot in the Velvet Room are all destined to embark on this search for identity. I have come to know power in many forms, but... I had hoped that in facing one whose power exceeds my own would lead me to a revelation of the truth of my existence."

"...But even after fighting with me, you didn't?"

She nodded sadly. "Indeed... no such answer was revealed to me as we fought."

"Well... if you want my opinion on the matter?" I asked. "Your life is what you make of it. In my case, that involves yelling at gods, punching monsters, and potentially saving the world. I dunno where it could go from there, but I aim to find out one of these days."

"...So then, if I am understanding your words correctly, only I can decide who I am?"

I nodded. "Something like that, yeah."

Elizabeth smiled. "...I see. I shall take this lesson to heart, Master Roy. But for now, I believe congratulations are in order. You have overcome the most difficult challenge I have laid before you. You shall receive your reward the same as always... but I would like you to have this as well."

She approached me and handed me... a platinum colored bookmark.

"Though it is every bit as simple as it looks, I hope that you will take it as a token of my gratitude." she said. "For all the things you have shown me along this journey of yours."

I smiled, slipping it into my pocket right next to the other bookmark. "You're more than welcome, Elizabeth."

**CRASH**

"GAH"

_I am thou... thou art I..._

"Ah... so it seems at last our bond has reached its full potential.

_The bond thou hast nurtured hath finally matured. The innermost power of the Pierrot Arcana hath been set free..._

_We bestow upon thee the ability to create Chaos, the Ultimate Form of the Pierrot Arcana..._

"...Y'know, that's kind of fitting in a way." I commented. "Life itself is unpredictable... what better way to emphasize that than with something based on the very concept of unpredictability?"

Elizabeth giggled. "Indeed. For now, I shall await you in the Velvet Room."

"Alright." I said, watching her step back towards a blue portal. "See you there, Liz."

She disappeared with a small wave, leaving me alone in Monad.

"...I swear though, if I start receiving Satellite TV signals in my head I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind." I said to the empty expanse as I walked over to the small, one-way teleporter panel that somehow managed to survive the fight.

* * *

><p>"Holy-! Geez Roy, you look like hell."<p>

"I'll ask where you all got that popcorn from once I'm done getting stuff from Liz." I deadpanned as I walked straight to the Velvet Room door. "So yeah, gimme like two seconds."

* * *

><p>"...I see Elizabeth did not hold back."<p>

I gave the unfamiliar platinum blonde woman who addressed me an odd look. "...Who're you?"

"My name is Margaret." she replied. "I had come to offer you a challenge to test your skills... but given your current condition, I feel it would be too cruel of me."

"Well, even if I wasn't beaten to hell and back I'd probably say no." I said. "No offense, just never fond of how overused the whole 'prove yourself' thing can seem sometimes."

"I see." she said, bowing slightly. "I shall leave you to your business then. I have other matters I must attend to."

I waved absently as Margaret walked towards the back of the Velvet Room and through one of the random doors there, then looked at Liz. "Your sister, right?"

"Elder sister." she said. "But I imagine you wish to rest, so I shall... 'cut to the chase' as it were."

"Nice use of metaphor." I commented as she summoned a black replica of her own book and held it out to me. "...What's this?"

"A Grimoire of similar make to the one I possess, as you can no doubt discern at a glance." stated Elizabeth. "As I understand it, you have kept record of your Journey. This may be of assistance to you for ease of compiling of such information."

I hummed. "Neat... but what about that bookmark you gave me earlier?"

"It acts as both a marker and a means of interfacing with the Grimoire." she said. "It will allow you to more quickly record any desired information and swiftly access it later."

"Neat. Thanks, Liz."

"You are most welcome, Master Roy."

"I could not help but notice something, my young friend..." began Igor. "...That you have reached the full potential of all your bonds."

I nodded. "Or so I've been told. What about it?"

"I merely wished to present you with a gift of my own in commemoration of the occasion." he said, holding something out to...

"...That's a tarot deck."

Igor's grin only widened. "One I had crafted especially for you."

Curious, I took it from him and drew the top card. It was the Judgment... and instead of the normal sort of images you'd see on a Judgement card, it showed me and SEES as a group. We were all smiling.

"...Thanks, Igor." I said, replacing the card and carefully putting the deck in my pocket.

"You are most welcome." he replied as I started towards the door. "Have a pleasant night's rest, my friend."

* * *

><p>"Okay so why the hell do you all have popcorn?"<p>

Junpei pointed at Thanatos. "He made like a sci-fi floating screen thing and we got to watch your fight."

"Mmhm." said the god of death. "And well, it's been a while since I last had good popcorn, so..."

"Where did you even get it?!"

"I'm a god! Where do you think?"

I almost started to say something, but decided against it. "Man, whatever... can we go home now? I think I'm getting basic cable..."

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong> - Not gonna lie, I recently changed up my plans for both this chapter and chapter 37 in kind of a big way. I'd PLANNED on a very... well, interesting look at Vision Quest, but after seeing Droplet of Sour's review and thinking about it... it has nothing to do with the story and could easily just be ignored because of that. So instead, well, you lot will be getting to view the world from the perspective of another SEES member with a very unique opinion on things. But while I'm talking of changed plans, wanna hear some crazy stuff that I'd INTENDED to have in Reshuffled but ended up forgetting or moving past because of various reasons? Because a lot of the original draft of Reshuffled(as it was in my mind anyways) is now pretty much on the metaphorical cutting room floor.

Firstly, there was Shade. If you noticed early on, there was a lot of attention about how Shade's appearance changed in various ways. This was SUPPOSED to reflect Roy's growth as a person as he interacted with his Social Links, but that pretty squarely just dropped off the radar because I'd genuinely forgot about it until about two chapters before Shadow Roy was planned to happen.

Second off, there was the ENDING. I won't spoil how Reshuffled is GOING to end now, but how I'd originally planned for it to work(and tie into what was then Norimoto Style) was Roy being trapped in the TV World in a metaphysical sense. His body and power are still in the seal, but his mind was stuck in his TV World dungeon(the casino in his brain that was mentioned as a once-off joke by Ryoji a few chapters back) via his Shadow. He would have encountered the NS Investigation Team after they rescued Rise, and his isolation would've left him... well, more than a little coocoo for cocoa puffs. He'd initially dismiss the IT as hallucinations, but gradually warm up to them. Once they beat Adachi, though, they would've been absent from the TV World for a while... sending Roy spiraling into madness. In mid January, on his birthday specifically, Roy would have appeared on the Midnight Channel and demanded they come and find him. When they do, they discover his dungeon has half mutated into a parody of Tartarus and have to fight their way to the top, seeing illusions of Roy's escapades through the tower with SEES back in 2009 as they proceeded upwards. Upon reaching the top, they'd find a very unhinged Roy going on and on about seeing 'them' again if he killed the IT. He'd lose the ensuing fight, but still try to press on and win, even if he can barely throw a punch stronger than a stiff breeze, before breaking down in tears and expressing a desire to see his friends again. I scrapped that whole idea for the current version of the ending, which DOES involve the Great Seal being a thing. How Roy manages to still show up in Inaba for Golden Moon is something that will be explained in the Answer portion of the story.

Thirdly, and lastly since this is the only other one I can actually remember, there was actually almost the entirety of Hamuko's social link. Around the time I was working on/finished with Chapter 9, I had a pretty harsh falling out with a friend of mine who was helping with that entire social link, leading to the entire last 7 rank events(Chapter 9 had Hamuko's rank 3 event in it) going in an entirely different direction. Originally, it would have been Hamuko coming to terms with her family being as scattered as it is and viewing SEES as a second family of sorts instead of what it came out as here. I like the current version to this idea though, mainly because(as I've mentioned when stuff relating to family members comes up for other characters) there's enough sad junk involving family members of SEES members. THEY DESERVE TO BE HAPPY, DAMN IT!

But as for The Worldwalker's request in their review, here's the full list of the Max Social Link skills that the SEES members got and what they do:

Junpei - Hermetic Law - Severe Fire damage to one enemy. Ignores Fire resistance, damage increases as Junpei's HP goes down.  
>Fuuka - Miracle - Block a fatal attack once per battle and revive party with full HPSP once per battle.  
>Mitsuru - Frigid Grave - Severe Ice damage to one enemy with 40% chance of Instant Kill. Instant Kill always works on Ice-weak target.<br>Akihiko - Imperial Crash - Heavy Electric damage on all enemies. Applies random -nda effect.  
>Shinjiro - Purging Vajra - Severe Peirce Damage to all enemies, hits 2-3 times<br>Yukari - Storming Sands - Heavy Wind Damage to all enemies and moderately restores HP to all allies.  
>Aigis - Papillion AegisBurst - Effect depends on Orgia Mode status. If not in Orgia mode, All -kaja effects + Wall(elemental resist) effects on all allies. If Orgia Mode is active, 3 hit Heavy Physical damage with a different damage type on each hit(In order, Slash, Strike, Pierce) on all enemies.  
>Ken - Holy Lance - Severe Piercing damage to one enemy with 40% chance of Light Instant Kill. Instant Kill always works on Light-weak target.<br>Hamuko - Seraphic Frost - Heavy ice damage to all enemies. Lowers enemy hit/dodge rate.  
>Koromaru - Pyrithphegation - Preposterous Fire Damage to all enemies.<br>Chidori - Royal Pyre - Severe Fire damage to all enemies, instant-kill if weak to fire. Causes dizzy on targets that resist/null Fire.  
>Ryoji - Midnight Marquis - Heavy Almighty Damage to all enemies, causes random Aliment<br>Roy - Arachnid Inferno - Heavy Fire damage to all enemies with 40% chance of Dark Instant Kill. Instant kill always works on Dark-weak target.

I'll admit, they'd all be fairly broken to some degree if Reshuffled was an actual Persona game, but since it's not, I'm inclined to go a little nuts with it. And yes, I do list Koromaru's as being the strongest because honestly, Pyrithphegation was one of the best skills in Digital Devil Saga 2. But anyways, that's enough author notes from me! Hope you're all ready to switch it up one last time next chapter! Mwehehehe...


	37. Switch It Up: Hanged Man

Pre-Chapter Review Answer Corner GO!

**pureshadow013** - Oh you totally called it. I tried to make it obvious in my denial that you were absolutely correct.

**ObsidianNoir** - Yeah, hindsight's kinda 20/20 on stuff that I really should've left out or not made a big deal out of, but I still like how it all turned out so I'm probably gonna leave it as is. As for power wise, well... Ignoring Roy because he's the goddamn Wild Card, Shinjiro's actually at the top of the list in my opinion. I don't really have a solid order beyond that, since they all have strengths and weaknesses, though in terms of combat ability, Fuuka would be at the bottom of the list since her Persona can't attack.

Not much else to say, but thanks again to my friends **PuppeteerOfHearts** and **ScarfDrilbur** plus my amazing girlfriend **Ella Lucarita** for helping me work on thischapter! Sorry it took so long, so without further ado, let's get on with it!

* * *

><p>You know Roy, you're lucky I found your laptop and not someone else... unless you did this on purpose, in which case I'm not sure what to tell you. But to whomsoever ends up reading this down the line, my name is Yoshino Chidori, and I'm here to tell you about how if Roy was any more of an unreliable narrator, he'd be James Sunderland.<p>

* * *

><p>"...You're joking."<p>

"No, I'm serious!"

I sighed lightly as I entered the lounge on the eighteenth, hearing Junpei and Hamuko talking. Apparently I'd managed to miss something while I was out gift shopping.

"Oh, hey Chidori!" said the pinkette, waving at me. "What's in the bag?"

"A surprise or two." I replied simply. "And no peaking, Junpei."

He made a pouting face. "Aww, way to ruin my fun..."

"You'll get yours first, so hush." I said, walking over and tugging his hat down over his eyes a little. "But what was this about joking?"

"Junpei got something neat for Roy." answered Hamuko. "I still wanna know how he did it."

"What can I say?" he said with a grin, adjusting his hat. "I'm just that slick."

I rolled my eyes. "You? Slick? Never heard that one before..."

"More likely you called in a favor with Aigis."

"...My methods will be shrouded in mystery till the day I die, Hamu-tan." said Junpei, trying to sound cryptic. "Thus I cannot confirm nor deny your statement."

"You totally did." Hamuko deadpanned.

"Man, why ya gotta kill my buzz?"

I gave him a kiss on the cheek before I headed towards the stairs. "Well you're getting presents later birthday boy, so you can handle a little teasing."

"...I SUPPOSE I can bear it..." He commented over dramatically, likely posing in some way. "...If only for you."

-...Why does he have to actually be charming when he's being a smart ass?- I griped mentally as I got to the stairs. "And not because I'll give you a reward later?"

"That's just bonus points."

"If you say so..."

"HEY, outta the kitchen ya twerp!" I heard Shinjiro-san shout. "No sneaky sneaky snatch some cake batter!"

"Awww..." whined Ken-kun.

I missed whatever Hamuko said after that since I'd almost made it to the third floor. I did, however, find Mitsuru-san and Fuuka talking in the hallway.

"Are you sure he'll enjoy it?" asked the redhead. "I've never been certain about his interests outside of the obvious ones..."

"Of course he will!" replied Fuuka with a cheerful smile. "Roy-kun said himself he actually prefers that sort of thing."

"Discussing gifts?" I asked casually as I approached.

Mitsuru-san turned her head and gave a curt nod. "Somewhat. Yamagishi suggested we offer one together, since I'd been having trouble with ideas myself..."

"That's a good idea." I commented. "And do either of you know when Roy will be back?"

"Not for another hour at the least, two at the most." stated Fuuka. "Aigis got him to take her to a movie so we'd have more time to get ready."

"Oh good, so I'll have time to wrap this after all."

"More than enough, I would think. Yamagishi, you should see how the food is coming along. I need to ask Akihiko about something."

"Alright, senpai!" replied the teal haired girl, scurrying off a moment later with Mitsuru-san a few steps behind.

-I still want to know where she got those heels.- I thought as I slipped into my room. -I swear I've seen ones like them before...-

* * *

><p>I'll never be one to claim I'm good at wrapping presents... It just amounted to awkwardly stuffing them into a mass of wrapping paper and taping the whole mess closed. At least Junpei's was small so it came out actually resembling something other than a soccer ball, unlike Roy's. Briefly, I wondered whenever or not Junpei would actually like his gift, but immediately brushed those thoughts aside because I was pretty sure he would like anything I gave him... Solely because it's me, but that's beside the point.<p>

I was alerted to the start of the festivities because of a loud slam and the sound of Roy shouting, so I headed downstairs with their gifts. I can't deny I was surprised at the sight of what was going on when I got there.

"...Did you really have to tackle me, Aigis?" Roy griped, the blonde still latched onto his back as he tried to get up. "I think I'm gonna have rug burn on my knees..."

"It was Hamuko-san's suggestion." she replied simply, a small smile on her face.

"I apologize for nothing." Hamuko said instantly, preempting the unamused look Roy shot her way once he got back to his feet.

I shook my head lightly, striding over to where the gifts had been placed and putting mine into the stacks. There were more than I'd actually expected, given the short notice, but I suppose that shows how much everyone cares... even if Junpei seemed to have more gifts in his pile.

Shinjiro picked that moment to come out of the kitchen with a large cake, distracting everyone for a time with some singing and then eating. Lots of eating because I swear I've never loved the taste of chocolate more than when it's baked and slathered in frosting. I've never quite understood why I like chocolate cake so much. Perhaps it was something I inherited from my mother... but this was hardly the place for retrospection, as once the cake was eaten, Junpei went straight for the gifts.

"Let's see what we got here..." He said, sounding more like a ten year old than a teenager as he looked through the pile. "Oh, one from Chidori... think I'll save that for last! What about this one from..." He stood up with a large pink-wrapped box in hand. "...Yuka-tan?"

"Stop gawking and open it."

Junpei looked over at the pink-clad brunette. "But it's a gift! From YOU! I need a moment to recover from the shock!"

"And I think Chidori's sass is contagious." Roy said dryly, plucking a gift out of the stack for him. "...Oh boy, this ought to be good."

"I think you'll like it." said Akihiko knowingly.

"Of course you'd say that, that's the one you got him."

The boxer shot his best friend a look as Roy ripped the wrapping paper off, his expression steadily turning more and more confused as he did. "...Okay, what the hell am I looking at here because if this is some kinda joke, I'm not getting it."

"It's a container of soy beans, Roy."

He looked at me. "I can't eat those! I get the worst stomach cramps imaginable if I do..."

Akihiko started laughing at that comment, leaning against a wall to keep his balance.

"...I'm still not getting the joke."

"New years, Roy." clarified Shinjiro. "But if you can't eat soy beans, how'd you stomach tofu two nights ago?"

That got Roy to make another face. "What do soy beans have to do with tofu?"

"Tofu is made from them."

"...But it's delicious..."

I still want to know how Roy has survived as long as he has despite how stupid he can be sometimes. I really do.

"Just open the thing and look inside." Shinjiro sighed. "There's more than just beans in there; I know, I had to help Aki wrap it."

Roy looked over at Akihiko, who now had a very concerned Mitsuru-san hovering around him as he kept giggling, then opened the gift and dug through the beans to find what the actual gift was.

"...Playing cards?"

"Well, you seemed like a real jack of all trades, so I thought you'd like it." said the silver-haired upperclassmen.

Roy's retort was to toss the small box of playing cards at him in a way that made them bounce off Akihiko's forehead and back to him.

"That joke was bad and you should feel bad." Roy stated. "But thanks."

"Ow... I thought you were supposed to get the birthday lumps..."

"Good luck with that, dude." laughed Junpei as he finally tore into the present from Yukari. "...the hell?"

Under the wrapping paper was a plain brown box. Opening that revealed another wrapped gift inside, which led Junpei to look at the brunette.

"...You did that recursive gift wrapping thing, didn't you?"

She simply grinned. "Hamuko's idea."

"Guilty as charged~"

"At least you didn't smash it with a hammer..." he sighed, unwrapping the box and opening it. Once he did, he shot Yukari another look.

"You got a problem with how I dress or somethin'?" Junpei asked, lifting up the dress shirt from the box. "Really, Yukari?"

The cardigan-clad archer giggled. "What, I can't want to help you look nice in front of Chidori?"

"...That only makes me moderately less offended."

"I think it looks nice..." I said, looking at the pastel blue shirt and noting a black blazer was still in the box below it.

Junpei looked at me, while Yukari laughed.

"Well, looks like it got your girlfriend's approval."

"...You with this round, Takeba."

"She'll win more if she keeps buying you nice clothes."

"Hamu-tan, that is not helping!"

* * *

><p>More presents were unwrapped, but they blurred together since I wasn't focusing much on them; I was watching everyone else. It's been an interesting experience living in this dorm and getting to know these people, in and out of Tartarus. At the same time, I can't help but wonder how well they really get along. Why, you may ask dear whoever is reading this? Because of this very journal you've been flipping through.<p>

It's all told from how Roy sees the world around him... and his interpretation of things is a bit stilted. He takes a lot of things at face value and if he does that, he doesn't delve any deeper. It's not to say he doesn't care – I imagine he doesn't even know he does it. But as someone who can sense the world around them in exquisite detail, things like that take a lot to escape my notice. Fuuka and Mitsuru-san are likely the same way. If I had to guess a reason for why he does it, it'd have to be that even with how much he's changed... deep down, Roy is still scared. It might never be something he fully conquers, but I hope he does one day. He's a wonderful person, if eccentric at times, and I like talking to him.

Just don't let my compliments go to your head when you read this, it's big enough as is and I doubt Aigis wants it to pop.

Jabs aside, I did start paying attention to what Roy and Junpei were doing once the two of them got to the gifts from me.

"Okay, where the hell do I even start with this?" asked Roy, looking at the mass of wrapping paper in his hands. "What did you get me Chidori, a novelty soccer ball the size of Koromaru?"

"Be nice, Roy." said Hamuko. "You're a hard person to shop for, ya stupid giant oni..."

I simply smiled knowingly. "I had to keep you guessing somehow."

He glanced my way before he started tearing into the wrapping paper. Once he saw part of it, he began lightly shaking his head, but when the rest was exposed... I'll never forget the look on his face.

"...This..."

It was an admittedly silly picture frame I saw at a store – it had a red Oni plush holding up the frame itself. Though I imagine what Roy was looking at was the picture I'd put in it.

It was a sketch I'd been working on for a few weeks, truth be told. It was a full-color illustration of Roy stepping out of darkness, several hands outstretched to him from blue light.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

Roy didn't answer. He was just staring at the image, lightly touching the frame.

"Roy?"

He jumped, having been pulled from his trance. "Huh? What?"

"Do you like it?" I repeated, admittedly nervous since I didn't think I'd actually get that big of a reaction from him.

Roy glanced back at the image, then nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "...Yeah. Thanks, Chidori."

"Are you alright?" asked Aigis, stepping closer to her beloved red-head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." He replied. "Just a little caught off guard is all."

Junpei rolled his eyes. "And you 'n Hamu-tan call Shinjiro-san a softie..."

"Ah, shaddup."

"Can't make me~" he sang, tearing the wrapping paper off the tiny present from me. "Huh... what's this?"

My nerves started getting the better of me again as he started opening the jewelry box. Even if I knew he'd still accept it because it was from me, I hoped he'd like it.

"Hey, this is neat!"

My eyes lit up at his words, watching Junpei withdraw the necklace from the box.

"Dude... that's awesome." He laughed, tapping the sword-shaped charm hanging from the silver chain. "Where'd you find this?"

"Ah, um... at a store Yukari showed me." I admitted. "It's from a brand I really like..."

He hummed, then fiddled with the necklace till he had it on. "How do I look?"

"I think it suits you, Junpei-kun." replied Fuuka. "It even matches the other pendant you have."

"Oh yeah, it does..." Ken added. "The other one looks kinda like a shield..."

"Does that make Junpei the knight in shining armor to Chidori's princess~?" Hamuko asked, a teasing look on her face.

I just shrank in my seat slightly. My mind was not on my side at the moment.

"...PERHAPS." answered Junpei, putting his hat back on and adjusting it. "I will have to confer on the accuracy of that claim later."

"Mmhm, sure you do..."

"Shut the hell up, Roy. You're not one to talk."

* * *

><p>Putting aside that little bit merriment we had, I believe it's time to get started on proving my point, one member of SEES at a time. Sanada Akihiko will be the first one on the list.<p>

"So if I square this, then the force in newtons comes out as... this?"

"Exactly." replied Akihiko-san, smirking at me from across the table we were seated at on the second floor landing. "Just apply that same formula to the next three questions and you should get the right answer."

I smiled back as I continued with my physics homework. "Thank you, senpai. You're quite good at this."

"Well, even if I'm good at it, boxing can only get me so far." he replied, the sound of his own pencil scratching across paper following shortly. "Never hurts to have a good range of knowledge – always hard to tell what will come in handy down the line."

"Is that why you asked me to help with your Japanese homework?"

He sighed. "Yeah... writing assignments are really tedious for me."

"Too complex in your opinion?"

"Mmhm. I just like to keep things simpler..." he paused, frowning lightly. "...Y'think that might get people to think I'm simple all the time?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Why do you ask?"

"Well... I was thinking about that journal of Roy's." answered Akihiko-san. "...Do I really come across that way?"

"Not in my opinion." I said honestly. "But he sees things differently from a lot of people."

He hummed lightly. "...Think it's because we don't get along as well as him and Junpei do?"

"Entirely possible. There's only so many hours in a day and he does try his best to interact with everyone."

"Yeah... plus, well..." Akihiko-san half-hesitated. "...We kinda talked the most while everything was going wrong with Shinji."

I looked up from my homework. "Really?"

"Yeah. Have you not read it yet?"

"No, I finished it a few days before the party. Ken-kun is the last person to read it, I think."

He bobbed his head. "Ah, I see. But... it's strange looking back at those times now. How different things seemed when I was living them to how they are now, and what it was like to see them from the outside... really makes you understand what perspective does to how things are taken."

"It does, doesn't it?" I mused aloud, tapping my pencil against my chin. "Maybe once things calm down, you can see if Roy wants to hang out more."

Akihiko-san laughed. "Calm down, huh? You sound confident."

"I'm not about to let the machinations of the man who ruined four years of my life come to fruition, especially not when he barely counts as a coffin stuffer." I stated evenly. "Nor do I intend to let fear of the worst stop me from planning for the best outcome."

"Heh. I like the way you think, Chidori."

"So does Junpei, but he's biased."

Another laugh escaped the boxer. "Definitely biased. But hey, can you tell me if this looks okay?"

* * *

><p>Now let's see about Yamagishi Fuuka.<p>

"...Chidori-chan?"

I looked up from my drawing pad, smiling at the teal haired girl who was standing beside the end of the sofa I was sitting on.

"Yes, Fuuka-san?" I asked. "Did you need something?"

"...I was wondering if I could ask you about something."

An inquisitive eyebrow arched on instinct at her statement. "I don't see why you can't. Just have a seat and we can talk."

"Oh, okay..." She replied, nodding quickly before sitting down in the nearby armchair while I resumed sketching. "...I wanted to ask you something about Roy-kun."

"...What is it that you couldn't ask him directly?"

Fuuka-san fidgeted in her seat for a moment before answering. "...I wanted to know what you thought his opinion of me was."

My pencil stopped and I looked at her again. "Why do you think I know?"

"Because..." she hesitated, then sighed. "...Because of his Journal."

"What about it?"

"He doesn't really mention me in it... at least, not as much as he mentions Junpei-kun or Shinjiro-san."

I let out a hum, thinking back to reading it. "...He didn't, did he? Odd."

"...Do you think he doesn't like me...?"

I shook my head. "No, Fuuka-san, I don't think he has a problem with you. He just... well, might not have a very strong opinion or feels that what goes on when you interact isn't something he should make more detailed note of."

"So... he cares a lot...?"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it. I'll be honest, you're the nicest person in this entire building." I told her. "For all of Roy's odd tendencies, he likes those sorts of traits in people. It's possible he doesn't think more needs to be said about you; your actions and character speaks for itself."

A smile slowly curled its way onto Fuuka-san's lips. "You think so?"

"If you're not certain, ask Ryoji. He was literally inside Roy's head after all."

"I would have, but... he went to the arcade with Junpei-kun a half hour ago."

I blinked, tilting my head to one side. "...Oh yeah, that's right... I forgot about that."

A giggle escaped her. "You were caught up in your drawing again, weren't you?"

"...Maybe."

Another giggle followed. "What're you sketching this time, Chidori-chan?"

"Oh, aimless doodles. Nothing super impressive in my opinion..."

"Can I see?"

"Sure."

* * *

><p>Kirijo Mitsuru, the attention-grabbing upperclassman.<p>

"He's still insisting on coming with us on the thirty-first?"

I nodded at her question. "Jin wants closure on the parts of his life related to Takaya. Even if he's been out of combat for this long, he's going to fight."

Mitsuru-san hummed. "I see. I'll finalize the arrangements for him to be released into SEES custody from the twenty-eighth to the second of February tomorrow then."

"Thank you."

A wry smile crossed the redhead's face. "You don't need to thank me. It feels as though we all need to reach some end to these chapters of our lives... especially the ones Ikutsuki tainted."

"Some of us more than others." I admitted, shifting in my seat. "At least he won't be able to ruin more lives..."

"Speaking of which, I was informed of something that I imagine is very much of interest to you earlier today." said Mitsuru-san. "You... had a younger brother, yes?"

I had to force myself to not flinch. "...Yes. Why?"

"It seems that reference to a 'Yoshino Shoji' came up in one of the files pulled from Ikutsuki's computers." she stated. "I asked mother to call in Asami-san to assist Madakaze-san in further attempts to crack all of the encryption on his files. He was nothing if not exceedingly serious about keeping his plans hidden for as long as possible."

I stared at Mitsuru-san quietly as I attempted to process what she was telling me. "He... mentioned Shoji...? Why?"

"We still don't know. Alongside the name was references to an unnamed at the time the document was written project involving a Plume of Dusk, but beyond that nothing has been deciphered." she replied, concern and agitation at the edges of her voice. "The fact it took this long to even get into one of his files at all is astounding as it is."

"...I see..." I said quietly, feeling a pit form in my chest. "...Please, let me know if you find anything else about Shoji."

Mitsuru-san nodded. "Absolutely. It... may not end up being information you'll want to hear, but I'll share it with you regardless."

"Thank you, Mitsuru-san."

"You're welcome, Yoshino."

* * *

><p>...Alright so maybe that wasn't the best example, but I'm trying to hurry along incase Roy shows up and catches me writing this. I think for my last segment, I'll get some answers out of someone who just might know Roy better than Roy himself does; Mochizuki Ryoji.<p>

"Ugh, man, why does Junpei have to be so damn good at Marvel vs Capcom Two?" griped the raven haired teen as he flopped onto one of the sofas in the lounge. "Does he go to tournaments or something?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "It's likely he just really enjoys playing them."

"...Or maybe he's still bitter about that time Roy schooled him at Street Fighter at the arcade." he noted. "I mean, I saw that happen. It was brutal, man. Absolutely brutal."

It took me a moment to recall that Ryoji-san was formerly known as Pharos and trapped within Roy's mind for quite some time. "That sounds familiar..."

"It should. It was in Junpei's addition to Roy's Journal." stated Ryoji-san. "Also, no regrets in throwing you boyfriend under the bus with Roy at the time. It was either rat him out or risk Roy getting thrown out for not telling people about all his abilities."

"...What was it like?" I asked, looking up from the manga I'd borrowed from Junpei. "Living in Roy's head for all those years."

He went silent for a few moments before answering. "...Disorienting at first, to be honest. I'd only been 'alive' as it were for a few hours at best when Aigis sealed me away. It was dark and silent until he woke up in the hospital, then... I could watch. Him talking to his uncle and the doctors. The flight back to the United States. School. Talking with people, learning martial arts, and even his infamous trip to Las Vegas."

"So you could see it all, but not do anything?"

"I tried to break free a few times at first." he admitted. "Nights with full moons called to me, but... I couldn't escape in the state I was in. So I just watched and waited. Bore witness to his best and worst moments growing up, and... it caused my original intent to fade from my mind, I guess. Eventually, I just wanted the chance to talk to him. Thank him for giving me the chance to see some of the good in the world, as opposed to blindly destroy it." Ryoji-san turned over on the sofa so he was laying on his back to look on at the ceiling. "And... the chance eventually become his friend once he came here."

"...I see." I said. "So then... if what he feared had come to pass, you likely would've been his only remaining companion?"

He replied with a nod. "Most likely. It was... interesting seeing him interact with the people he knew growing up. Even with the few friends he did have, he never seemed to feel like he belonged. I suppose perceiving something none of them could did that to him, even when he explained it to some of them."

"...Is that why he doesn't really talk about them in his Journal once he started becoming closer to SEES?"

Ryoji-san nodded again. "Yeah. I asked him the same thing at one point, but it was one of the many things he didn't write down. He's... pretty much always been a bundle of nerves. It seems like things have gotten a lot better for him since that whole 'Shadow Roy' incident..."

"Has he talked to you about anything since you officially came back into the group?"

"A few times, yeah. Sounds like he's been confiding in Aigis a lot these days." he answered. "He's just been so secretive for so long, it's a pretty big adjustment for him to really be completely honest."

A small hum escaped me. "I can't say I blame him. It... was likely more jarring of a revelation than what he would've told us if given enough time to come to grips with it."

"He'd told me that he planned on telling SEES everything about his abilities a week after the Dark Hour ended... though, that was when everyone still thought destroying all Twelve of the Arcana Shadows would end things."

"He did?"

"Eyup. Said it to me the day of that last operation." he stated. "One of our last conversations while I was still Pharos, even..."

I shifted in my seat somewhat to better face Ryoji-san. "Did you expect for any of this to happen that day? I mean, becoming what you are now?"

"Nope. Not at all." was his admission as he turned his head towards me. "I thought I was gonna move on to the afterlife or whatever. Now... I have to basically help beat up my evil side to save the world. Kind of a pretty big escalation of things, huh?"

"That's putting it mildly, but yes, it is."

Ryoji-san let out a laugh. "Living in Roy's head gave me some of his quirks, okay?"

"I'd be honestly surprised if you didn't, Ryoji-san." I replied with a chuckle.

* * *

><p>I hope this was enlightening in some way. Nothing against you, Roy, but... well, you need to work on your writing skills a bit. Not that I'm one to talk anyways, but it's better to have some several views on things instead of just a single, somewhat biased, perspective. A story works better if the characters feel like real people, even in the case of a journal like this. That said... I'm glad I could be a part of your story. Just don't forget you're a part of the story of my life too, okay?<p>

-Yoshino Chidori

...Eloquently put, Chidori. And... thank you. Thank you for being my friend. - Roy

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes -<strong> Okay, full honesty: I've been trying to work up the drive to get this chapter done for months but getting Chidori's character right managed to elude me for a long time. If not for some admittedly harsh but ultimately helpful words from my friend Tori, I might not have even gotten this chapter done for a few more months. That said, now that it IS done, I can do the next one for Duality and then get to the last 5 chapters of THIS story, THEN finally get started on Golden Moon like I've wanted to for fucking ages now.

So yes, next chapter is how it all ends! Buckle up boys and girls, this is it; The Apocalypse! Cue Imagine Dragons _Radioactive _as I hop into a car and slam on the gas, because there is no way in hell you guys can figure out what I have in store for the final battle. Mwehehehe...


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